ERA – the Constitutional Amendment that is technically dead has been resuscitated for the 15th time in Illinois as SJRCA-24, U.S. Constitution Equal Rights Amendment. A committee hearing is scheduled next Tuesday, April 19, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. in the Illinois Senate. Click here for more information.
History of ERA for those who are too young to remember:
- Passage of the ERA would add these words to the U.S. Constitution: “Equality of rights under law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.”
- The ERA would wipe out all ability to use any laws using gender as a defining characteristic. This would overturn workplace and family laws that protect women, privacy laws that define who may use gender oriented bathrooms and locker rooms, and religious freedom laws. The ERA would also integrate same-sex and bi-sexual attraction into the U.S. Constitution.
- The ERA could very well affect almost every area of life including Social Security, Medicare, health, insurance benefits, Medicare benefits, and pro-life issues
- Since 1972 the Illinois General Assembly has voted NO on the ERA 14 times.
SJRCA-24 is expected to be heard in the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments this Tuesday morning in the Illinois Senate. They will rule whether the ERA can proceed to the full Senate for a ratification vote. Your prayers and action are needed today!
Prayer requests:
- Thank the Lord for the many times He has held back the ERA in Illinois.
- Ask Him to intervene on our behalf.
- Pray for each member of the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments by name. May they see the folly of this constitutional amendment.
Take action:
Call and/or e-mail the members of the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments by close of business on Monday. Leave a message if you need to. Encourage them to vote NO on SJRCA-24! Let them know that the ERA is a poorly written amendment that harms women, their children and our society. Let them know that at this time they should be focusing on solving the Illinois budget crisis and not on passing legislation that creates greater harm to women and our society. While the members on this subcommittee may be outside your state senate district, please remind their assistants that they do represent you on this committee.
- Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-District 13)
217-782-5338 - Sen. Don Harmon (D-District 39)
217-782-8176 - Sen. Matt Murphy (R-District 27)
(217) 782-4471
Pro-ERA proponents have never stopped working behind the scenes to ratify the ERA in Illinois. Let us stand even stronger and say “NO!” once again. CWA has been battling the ERA as far back as 1978. We will not back down! Let’s stop the ERA once and for all!
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Edmund Burke
Debbie Leininger
State Director
CWA of Illinois
director@illinois.cwfa.org
il.cwfa.org
(815) 297-2918
Become a part of CWA of Illinois! Together we can make a difference in our communities, state and country through our prayers and action. Contact me today to find out how.