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.”
USPS wouldn’t deliver ballots in states that refuse to fork over mail-in voter info under proposed rule
Supreme Court hands Trump two major immigration victories
FBI joins probe into ‘Free Karmelo’ mob that allegedly beat woman while chanting support for killer: police
Watch: Alan Dershowitz Reveals the Sickest Public Part of Bill Gates’ Friendship With Epstein – Says ‘There’s a Smell’ to Gates’ Testimony Prep
Nancy Guthrie ransom notes don’t match suspect’s behavior, profiler says: ‘I don’t believe they’re real’
Obama Presidential Library Betrays Black Visitors, Issues Wildly Racist Demand on Website – at Least We’ve Been Told It’s Racist
Hundreds dead as Europe breaks temperature records during heat wave
Senate Republican pushes overhaul to cut red tape and speed up American energy projects
Mamdani and Hochul announce cash infusion for New York City Abortion Access Hub expansion
Michigan childcare provider collected $1.1M in taxpayer funds despite no visible signs of operating
Clinton judge gives anti-ICE agitator no prison time for assaulting federal officers in Minneapolis
Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair kicks off 16-day festival on National Mall: ‘America come to life’
Trump Media battles Brazilian government in novel censorship case
DOJ threatens to sue California over ‘Glock ban,’ arguing law violates Second Amendment
Former New Jersey middle school teacher indicted on new charges including manufacturing child abuse material
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.
USPS wouldn’t deliver ballots in states that refuse to fork over mail-in voter info under proposed rule
Supreme Court hands Trump two major immigration victories
FBI joins probe into ‘Free Karmelo’ mob that allegedly beat woman while chanting support for killer: police
Watch: Alan Dershowitz Reveals the Sickest Public Part of Bill Gates’ Friendship With Epstein – Says ‘There’s a Smell’ to Gates’ Testimony Prep
Nancy Guthrie ransom notes don’t match suspect’s behavior, profiler says: ‘I don’t believe they’re real’
Obama Presidential Library Betrays Black Visitors, Issues Wildly Racist Demand on Website – at Least We’ve Been Told It’s Racist
Hundreds dead as Europe breaks temperature records during heat wave
Senate Republican pushes overhaul to cut red tape and speed up American energy projects
Mamdani and Hochul announce cash infusion for New York City Abortion Access Hub expansion
Michigan childcare provider collected $1.1M in taxpayer funds despite no visible signs of operating
Clinton judge gives anti-ICE agitator no prison time for assaulting federal officers in Minneapolis
Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair kicks off 16-day festival on National Mall: ‘America come to life’
Trump Media battles Brazilian government in novel censorship case
DOJ threatens to sue California over ‘Glock ban,’ arguing law violates Second Amendment
Former New Jersey middle school teacher indicted on new charges including manufacturing child abuse material
“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.
