Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer

In the United States, women and girls are not legally guaranteed equal rights, resulting in unequal pay, workplace harassment, pregnancy discrimination, domestic violence, limited access to comprehensive health care, discrimination against LGBTQ people, and more. As our nation braces for a likely rise in attacks on our liberties, we need the only duly ratified constitutional amendment that has not been added to the Constitution: the Equal Rights Amendment.

 

The ERA rightfully became the 28th Amendment more than four years ago and will update the Constitution to provide nationwide protection against discriminatory federal and state laws. The ERA is necessary to uphold and restore the rights of more than half our population. A polarized Congress has failed to take the final steps to ratify the ERA. But President Joe Biden has the power to instruct the U.S. Archivist to certify and publish the amendment, making equal rights the law of the land. The League of Women Voters of Bucks County calls upon Biden to pick up the phone and instruct the archivist to finalize the ERA now. Mr. President, your legacy is calling.

 

Ilene Sheinson, advocacy chair, League of Women Voters of Bucks County, Doylestown