The Equal Rights Amendment

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first proposed in Congress by the National Women’s Party in 1923. The U.S. House of Representatives approved it in 1970; the U.S. Senate voted its approval in 1972. Thirty of the necessary thirty-eight states ratified the Amendment in 1973. Today, supporters of ERA actively seek its ratification:

• Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

• Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

• Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.