Manley Supports Efforts to Pass the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To protect the rights of women across Illinois and the nation, state Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, is supporting efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

“It is easy to assume that rights written into the Constitution apply to everyone equally, but the abolition, suffrage and civil rights movements all show that people are not always treated equally under our laws,” Manley said. “We have a long way to go to achieve equality for everyone, and this Constitutional Amendment is a step in the right direction.”

Manley is co-sponsoring Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4, which will prevent discrimination of a person based on their sex. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia have both stated that the Constitution does not expressly prohibit discrimination based on whether someone is male or female.

In 1972, the ERA was approved by Congress and submitted to the states for ratification. If approved, Illinois would become the 37th state to ratify the amendment.

“It is never too late to act on the ERA,” Manley said. “In recent months, we have seen the Trump Administration attempt to roll back Title IX protections that would address inequalities that women and girls in school face. This amendment would ensure that, regardless of who is control of the White House or Congress, women continue to receive equal protection under the law.”