Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) spoke on the House floor Wednesday in support of a bill to extend the expired deadline for states to ratify the controversial Equal Rights Amendment, claiming during her speech that women are still in “shackles” and that the “Constitution is sexist by its very design.”
“Today I rise to affirm the humanity and the dignity of all women,” Pressley said. “I rise in strong, unapologetic, righteous support of H.J. Res. 79, which will strike the arbitrary deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment that should already be the law of the land.”
Musk: Austin Shooter Was Fired by Tesla After He Struck Woman Who ‘Accidentally Stepped on His Prayer Rug’
Over 100 arrested in California after $2 billion state-federal healthcare fraud crackdowns
Fox News Poll: Nail-biter in Maine Senate race
Man accused of smashing Iwo Jima statue with sledgehammer in Quantico
Trump rally exposes surprising cracks in MAGA base as Republicans face midterm test
Watch: Mike Rogers Stops Abdul El-Sayed in His Tracks When He Attempts ‘Victim’ Strategy During Debate
Italy and Spain end border crisis sparked by Ceuta invasion, but approximately 15,000 migrants still demand asylum
Dozens Taken to Hospital, Days-Long Evacuation in Effect as Massive Chemical Leak Plagues Ohio City
Lindsay Clancy’s Lawyer Slapped Down by Judge For Trying to Investigate Holdout Juror and Examine His Phone
Ilhan Omar is not the Minnesota congresswoman’s ‘real name’: sources
Australia pastor case ‘canary in the coal mine’ for American Christian freedoms: TPUSA leader
Federal authorities charge 15 in massive $1.8B Southern California medical fraud sweep
Accused Philadelphia cop killer Eric Lewis faces new federal gun, robbery charges after deadly ambush
Macron returns to Paris on war footing to quash ‘illegitimate’ riots he blames on ‘organized ultra-left groups’
Mamdani expected to face legal trouble over PETA-backed horse carriage ban
The Constitution is sexist by design. The year is 2020 & women in this country STILL aren't considered equal to men in the eyes of the federal gov't.
Tomorrow's vote on HJ Res 79 is a vote to actualize the movements built on the backs of women. It's a vote for equality. #ERANow pic.twitter.com/cVYzw3hiVn
— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) February 12, 2020
“Women are strong, hard-working, bright, and resilient. We are the backbones of our families, our communities, and our democracy,” Pressley said. “We do not live in checked boxes. We live in an intersectionality of lived experiences and identities.”
“Our issues are everyone’s issues because our destinies are all tied,” Pressley said. “Tomorrow’s vote on H.J. Res. 79 is a vote for the preservation of our collective humanity.”
She went on to say in her remarks that women are paid less than men and that this is especially true for minority women. And that women have historically and still do today face discrimination that supporters say the Equal Rights Amendment would fix.
“In addition to pay discrimination, we face pregnancy discrimination — discrimination in the criminal legal system, sexual and domestic violence, and inadequate healthcare access,” Pressley said.
Musk: Austin Shooter Was Fired by Tesla After He Struck Woman Who ‘Accidentally Stepped on His Prayer Rug’
Over 100 arrested in California after $2 billion state-federal healthcare fraud crackdowns
Fox News Poll: Nail-biter in Maine Senate race
Man accused of smashing Iwo Jima statue with sledgehammer in Quantico
Trump rally exposes surprising cracks in MAGA base as Republicans face midterm test
Watch: Mike Rogers Stops Abdul El-Sayed in His Tracks When He Attempts ‘Victim’ Strategy During Debate
Italy and Spain end border crisis sparked by Ceuta invasion, but approximately 15,000 migrants still demand asylum
Dozens Taken to Hospital, Days-Long Evacuation in Effect as Massive Chemical Leak Plagues Ohio City
Lindsay Clancy’s Lawyer Slapped Down by Judge For Trying to Investigate Holdout Juror and Examine His Phone
Ilhan Omar is not the Minnesota congresswoman’s ‘real name’: sources
Australia pastor case ‘canary in the coal mine’ for American Christian freedoms: TPUSA leader
Federal authorities charge 15 in massive $1.8B Southern California medical fraud sweep
Accused Philadelphia cop killer Eric Lewis faces new federal gun, robbery charges after deadly ambush
Macron returns to Paris on war footing to quash ‘illegitimate’ riots he blames on ‘organized ultra-left groups’
Mamdani expected to face legal trouble over PETA-backed horse carriage ban
“But this isn’t an accident,” Pressley continued. “The American Constitution is sexist by its very design.”
“This country’s laws have historically treated [women] like second-class citizens, depriving us of the right to vote, enter most jobs, and to own property,” Pressley said. “While some of those injustices may cease to exist, we still face tremendous barriers to our full participation in society.”
“With tomorrow’s vote we have an opportunity to right this country’s wrong,” Pressley said.
Pro-life conservatives, including the late Phyllis Schlafly whose efforts effectively killed the Equal Rights Amendment, oppose it because it is not just about women’s equality but codifying abortion on demand:
National Right to Life is strongly opposed to adding the 1972 ERA language to the U.S. Constitution, because it would provide a powerful legal weapon with which to challenge virtually any limits on abortion, and to require unlimited government funding of abortion.
On Thursday, the House passed the bill Pressley supported on a 232–183 vote.
“We are on the brink of history, and no deadline should stand in the way,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said.
The bill is expected to face challenges both constitutionally and from conservative lawmakers.
Story cited here.
