– by Nancy Marks, AAUW Ames Historian
Program for AAUW Ames – January 8,1974: “Current Issues on the Legal Status of Women: Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment by State of Iowa” – Presented by Ruth Harkin, Story County Attorney and Eloise Rippey, Family Environment Department of Iowa State University
In 1923, suffragist Alice Paul had introduced the ERA in Congress as the next step to bring “equal justice under law to all citizens.”
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.”
The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress on March 22, 1972 and sent to the states for ratification. In order to be added to the Constitution, it needed approval by legislatures in three-fourths (38) of the 50 states. On March 24, 1972, Iowa became the fourth state to ratify the ERA.
The ERA was to take effect two years after date of ratification of 38 states. In 1978, after only 35 states had voted for ratification, Congress voted to extend the original March 1979 deadline to June 30, 1982. However, no additional states voted yes before that date, and the ERA fell three states short of ratification.
UPDATE 10/5/2017:
Iowa, in 1998, along with eleven other states passed a State ERA after the National Amendment was not ratified.
On March 22, 2017, 45 years to the day after Congress passed the ERA, Nevada became the 36th state to ratify it.
Without the ERA, women are in danger of having rights taken away. In 1972, Title IX Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” However, it has been challenged in bills before Congress in the past and the Trump administration in Sept 2017 rescinded Obama-era federal guidance on campus sexual assault. Efforts provided by bills in Congress to help passage of the ERA Amendment: 1) Extend the deadline 2) Begin the process all over again 3) Expand the language in the ERA to make it more inclusive.
