Women’s Equality Day, August 26th, marks the ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. DJ Trump never proclaimed equality for women on the day of observance, something every sitting president since Nixon has done. Trump skirted around mentioning equal access to health care, the gender pay gap, or gender-based violence. And hey, we have no shortage of questionable national days so do it right– hello, National Cheeseburger Day.
Here is the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA):
Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
It IS that simple.
For years, I have listened to men complain about being discriminated by affirmative action. Guess what men? You will benefit from the passage of the equal rights amendment.
Today, there is little doubt that one of the greatest areas of discrimination against women is in employment. The average is an 18% pay discrepancy annually. Unions report, “we want to protect the little women” than admit that it is lucrative for the men in American industry. Thousands of jobs from which women are arbitrarily excluded are the well-paid, interesting, “male” jobs and what remains are the poorly paid, tedious jobs, as “female” jobs. This is a cruel way of keeping women in a condition of poverty and humiliation. 35% of the families headed by women live in poverty; 61% of the Nation’s poor children live in families headed by women. Your failure to pay equally leads to a nation of children destined for a path of poverty and dependence on government aid.
Equality must be written into our Constitution. Women have not been protected by the Supreme Court; which has not extended to any female citizen the protection of the 5th or the 14th amendments. Why should working women spend thousands of dollars on litigation to gain work equality?
Prevarication that the amendment will keep women with dependent children from receiving alimony is a common scare tactic. The women I know, who are divorced, must work to support their children because child support is not there. If a man divorced his wife, done legally, got custody of the children, alimony, and child support, then good for him.
The ERA would put “gay rights” into the U.S. Constitution. Yes, it’s about damn time!
The ERA will jeopardize single-sex programs and schools. Yes, we need to begin teaching children that sexism in youth lays the foundation for sexism as an adult. We are a country that is sexist; dictated under a current Administration that demonstrates misogyny and racism. The current “ways” are not successful for 1/2 of its population. It is time to change. Additionally, it would take away women’s traditional exemption from military conscription and also from military combat duty. I wholeheartedly believe that all citizens, if able, be exposed to conscription and the ability to join the armed forces.
Yes, the ERA would put abortion rights into the U.S. Constitution and make abortion funding a constitutional right. I am sorry, anti-abortion advocates, your beliefs should not be above the current rules of law. Federal health care does not ban any legal medical procedure for men. Additionally, the ERA will lead to a balancing of insurance companies premiums: health, life, automobile, etc. Women will not be required to pay higher insurance premiums with equality; they will be paying insurance equally with men.
“I will continue to support and uphold equal humanity for all. Let us never forget that all people in the USA are entitled that the equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. ”
Jenneffer Pulapaka
#womeninspirechange #womenlead #docslead #equality
