May 31, 2018
FROM:
Bonnie Cox, President
Hilary Denk, Issues Chair
Sharon Alter, ERA Issues Specialist
ACTION NEEDED:
The IL House passed SJRCA 4 by a vote of 72-45 last night, Wednesday, May 30, making Illinois the 37th state to ratify the ERA out of 38 needed nationally!
Thank you for all of your work and actions to bring about this achievement!
Please call or send a thank you to your Illinois State Representative who voted YES. See how your Rep voted on the Roll Call.
WHY IT MATTERS:
The Illinois Constitution has an equal rights clause: "The equal protection of the laws shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex by the State or its units of local government and school districts." (Article I, Section 18)
That clause does not apply to the U.S. government or to other states as the ERA would if it were part of the U.S. Constitution.
LWVUS has known that the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment equal protection clause may not be interpreted to apply regardless of sex. Therefore, LWVUS has consistently supported ratification since 1972 by its position: "The LWVUS supports equal rights for all regardless of sex."
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