Dear John,

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has been dead for 36 years.

Cause of death? It failed to earn the backing of three-fourths of state legislatures (38 states) to be ratified by a 1982 deadline.

But the energy generated by the Women’s March, the #MeToo movement and the progressive takeover of the House in the 2018 election has recently revived the ERA. Elections do have consequences!

And if Nancy Pelosi gets her way, the New ERA might be within reach. Last April, the Equal Rights Amendment got its first congressional hearing in 36 years—despite the legal deadline having passed long ago. That means your member of Congress could be voting on it soon!

This blast from the past continues to be a weapon against life and family values just like in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. In fact, given where our courts have gone in interpreting so-called “equality” laws, it’s even more dangerous now.

The New Equal Rights Amendment would: 

• Shatter pro-life laws—Abortion would become a right enshrined in the Constitution, and taxpayers would be forced to pay for them. The people’s right to protect preborn babies would be eliminated. This is even more critical in light of Planned Parenthood’s recent losses in court, in new state pro-life laws and in losing Title X funding – $50 million of our tax dollars! And it’s why some policy leaders are calling the ERA the “Everything Related to Abortion” Act. 

• Invade women’s privacy—Today, the transgender movement is all the rage in many cultural and legal circles. This makes today’s ERA even more dangerous than it was decades ago. In the name of protecting women, the ERA would likely open up women’s bathrooms, locker rooms and showers to anyone claiming to be a woman. Or men and women could be required to share unisex facilities. 

• Erase women’s social and legal benefits—The ERA would create a sex-neutral society, sweeping away traditional differences of treatment “on account of sex” in such areas as divorce and alimony, child custody, maternity leave, prison regulations and even military service, such as requiring men and women to register for the draft or go into combat. 

• Threaten women’s and girls’ sports participation—The ERA could go so far as to end sex-segregated sports altogether because they are technically “discriminating.” Men will easily overtake all sports after such integration. At the very least, it would further the growing problem of giving places on women’s teams to men who claim to be women. 

These are all clear examples of how laws, when applied equally to men and women, end up taking away many of the rights that women now have.

John, you and I know we were created by Divine design! Both male and female, created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26–28). Our maleness or femaleness is coded into every cell of our bodies, not socially defined!

Yet, April’s hearing on the ERA shows the determination of Speaker Pelosi and others to push it through. It is likely that your member of Congress will have to make a decision on it soon.

The ERA is on the move. We know you pray regularly for our nation, but Family Policy Alliance also needs your help to keep the ERA where it’s been for decades—dead on arrival—by financially supporting our urgent efforts to protect our shared values and oppose legislation that will harm women and children.

Thank you for protecting women, girls and preborn babies today!

Paul Weber

President & CEO

P.S. – John, please know the need is urgent! We must keep the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) from becoming the law of the land. I am asking you to stand with Family Policy Alliance today with your most generous gift.