U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski expressed her disappointment after the U.S. Senate failed to pass Senate Joint Resolution 4, aimed at affirming the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
The resolution, co-led by Sen. Ben Cardin from Maryland, sought to eliminate the arbitrary deadline for ratification and recognize the amendment as a valid part of the Constitution, given that the 38-state threshold needed for ratification of the ERA has been met.
“It’s pretty simple. ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.’… That’s it. That’s the full substance of the Equal Rights Amendment,” she said on the Senate floor.
The matter of the ERA may be complicated by transgender ideology, which has inserted uncertainty into who qualifies as female.
Sen. Murkowski, who has co-led this resolution in three Congresses, emphasized the urgency of removing the deadline for ratification of the ERA by the states, which she feels is long overdue. She stressed that men and women should be treated equally under the law, and that there should be no time limit on equality.
Despite the setback, Murkowski assured advocates that she remains committed to the cause and will never give up the effort.
“Women are a majority of the U.S. population, but continue to be underrepresented in elected office, the courts, the business world, and in so many other areas,” she said.
