Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 8 January 2020

Lawsuit seeks to ease adoption of Equal Rights Amendment

By STEVE LeBLANC ing and deeply disturbing
BOSTON (AP) — Supporters that attorneys general in
of the Equal Rights Amend- three states" are trying to
ment have filed a federal block the amendment, she
lawsuit in Massachusetts added.
aimed at clearing a legal Anti-abortion activists wor-
path for adoption of the ry that the ERA, if ratified,
long-delayed constitution- would be used by abortion-
al amendment. rights supporters to quash
Backers say they're wad- restrictions on grounds they
ing into the debate over specifically discriminate
the amendment — which against women.
dates to the early 1970s — Some ERA opponents
because Virginia is poised are also worried that the
to become the decisive amendment would be
38th state to approve the used to ensure nationwide
measure. protections for transgen-
Amendments are added to der women seeking to use
the U.S. Constitution if they women-only restrooms and
are approved by three- locker rooms.
quarters of state legisla- Supporters say both con-
tures. The anticipated ap- cerns are unfounded.
proval of the amendment Kamala Lopez, right, president of Equal Means Equal, faces reporters as Natalie White, left, vice Massachusetts was among
by Virginia would put the president of the organization, looks on during a news conference, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, in Boston, the first batch of states to
ERA over that threshold. held to address issues about a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court. approve the Equal Rights
But the process is likely to Associated Press Amendment in the early
hit some snags. One of 1970s.
the biggest is a measure of the ERA say all that mat- abridged by the United tive activists have depicted After voting to ratify the
passed by Congress in ters is the language of the States or by any state on the ERA as a threat to their amendment, Virginia is ex-
1972, attaching a 1979 rati- amendment itself, which account of sex." stances on abortion and pected to submit copies of
fication deadline to it. That makes no mention of a Despite the legal hurdles, transgender rights. the state's resolution to the
was later extended to 1982. deadline. advocates of the amend- Lawsuits could also be U.S. archivist David S. Ferrie-
The lawsuit filed Tuesday The group also points to the ment in Virginia are already waged over attempts ro to be recorded — some-
in U.S. District Court in Bos- case of the Constitution's planning to celebrate its by five states to rescind thing opponents are trying
ton argues, in part, that 27th Amendment, which passage — made possible their initial support for the to block.
the deadline imposed by was written by James Mad- after Democrats seized amendment. Ferriero released a state-
Congress was not included ison in 1789 to bar Congress control of the state Legisla- "This lawsuit was filed today ment last month saying
in the text of the three-sen- from voting itself instant ture in November. to make sure that no road- the National Archives and
tence amendment — and pay raises. That amend- But efforts are underway blocks are put in place to Records Administration is
therefore not constitution- ment was not adopted to block its ultimate adop- prevent women's equality requesting guidance from
ally binding. The original until 203 years later — far tion as the Constitution's from becoming part of the the Department of Justice
legislation that sent the longer than the adoption 28th Amendment, includ- United States Constitution," on ratification of the ERA.
proposed amendment process for the ERA. ing a lawsuit filed in federal said Wendy Murphy, a law- Ferriero pointed to issues
to states for ratification The ERA states that "equal- court in mid-December by yer for Equal Means Equal, raised in the lawsuit filed by
did refer to a seven year ity of rights under the law Alabama, Louisiana and one of the groups that filed Alabama, Louisiana, and
deadline, but supporters shall not be denied or South Dakota. Conserva- the lawsuit in Massachu- South Dakota.
setts. "NARA does not intend to
Murphy said the groups take any action regarding
were compelled to file the the ERA until, at a minimum,
lawsuit in response to the it receives the guidance it
one filed by Alabama, Lou- previously requested and
isiana and South Dakota. in no event before Febru-
"Now that we are on the ary 15, 2020," the statement
verge of winning the final said.
state needed to ensure Both lawsuits name Ferriero
women's equality it is shock- as the defendant.q