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.”
Mamdani threatens to sue Trump admin over ICE’s use of city-owned lots for immigration enforcement
Democrats rally around el Sayed after Stevens defection in final hours of campaign
‘Ilhan Omar’ May Have Already Compromised National Security, Foreign Affairs Committee Members Say
Ex-West Point cadet sued for secretly drugging pregnant girlfriend with abortion pills
JD Vance says Haley Stevens’ endorsement of GOP’s Mike Rogers will ‘certainly’ help Michigan Senate race
How a midterm tie gets settled in the case of the Senate
Judge Boasberg orders DOJ to stop demanding California officials set aside 20,000 ballots
Fed. Judge Suspended for Psychiatric Eval After Anti-White Outburst in Court Leads to Astoundingly Racist Quotes
Michigan County Stonewalls Reporter’s Attempt to Expose What El-Sayed Had to Say About Oct. 7
Illegal Alien Arrested for Rape After Being Released by Dem-Appointed Judge
EXCLUSIVE: Woman allegedly raped by illegal alien after Clinton-appointed federal judge ordered his release
Haley Stevens’s Mike Rogers endorsement stuns black voters in Michigan
Watch: Democratic Governor Swats Reporter’s Camera After Being Asked Uncomfortable Question
Teamsters Union Boss Surprises by Endorsing Republican Senate Candidate
Florida plane crash victims identified after 9 people killed in fiery wreck
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.
Mamdani threatens to sue Trump admin over ICE’s use of city-owned lots for immigration enforcement
Democrats rally around el Sayed after Stevens defection in final hours of campaign
‘Ilhan Omar’ May Have Already Compromised National Security, Foreign Affairs Committee Members Say
Ex-West Point cadet sued for secretly drugging pregnant girlfriend with abortion pills
JD Vance says Haley Stevens’ endorsement of GOP’s Mike Rogers will ‘certainly’ help Michigan Senate race
How a midterm tie gets settled in the case of the Senate
Judge Boasberg orders DOJ to stop demanding California officials set aside 20,000 ballots
Fed. Judge Suspended for Psychiatric Eval After Anti-White Outburst in Court Leads to Astoundingly Racist Quotes
Michigan County Stonewalls Reporter’s Attempt to Expose What El-Sayed Had to Say About Oct. 7
Illegal Alien Arrested for Rape After Being Released by Dem-Appointed Judge
EXCLUSIVE: Woman allegedly raped by illegal alien after Clinton-appointed federal judge ordered his release
Haley Stevens’s Mike Rogers endorsement stuns black voters in Michigan
Watch: Democratic Governor Swats Reporter’s Camera After Being Asked Uncomfortable Question
Teamsters Union Boss Surprises by Endorsing Republican Senate Candidate
Florida plane crash victims identified after 9 people killed in fiery wreck
“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.
