The ERA has moved from the Executive Committee to the Senate Floor and now the House Rules Committee in just 2 days! This bill is very dangerous and moving very quickly. Legislators are scrambling to get this passed by May 31st. ACT NOW!
Please contact your state representative today to urge them to vote NO on the Equal Rights Amendment. It is currently listed as SJRCA 75. You can find contact information for your state legislators at (217) 782-2000 or visit: http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx
What is the ERA?
The ERA is a U.S. Constitutional Amendment that has not yet been fully ratified. The supporters of the amendment claim that if they can get 3 more states to ratify it, it will become a binding US Constitutional Amendment. The main wording of the amendment reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."
The amendment originally sought to give women equal rights, but its vague, overly broad language would actually harm women, their families, and our society by removing important legal safeguards. The ERA would create a genderless society by nullifying all laws and government practices that make any distinction based on gender. The broad language of the ERA will empower the federal government to regulate every aspect of our lives. An immediate example includes abortion - it will prohibit all restrictions on abortion.
What can I do?
What can I do?
(1) Please contact your state representative today to urge them to vote NO on the Equal Rights Amendment. It is currently listed as SJRCA 75 in the Senate. You can find contact information for your state legislators at (217) 782-2000 or visit: http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx
(2) Please pass this on to others and encourage them to contact their state legislators too.
If we all take action, our voices will be heard. Thanks for all you are doing to protect our families, our society and our religious freedoms!
More information about the ERA:
There is currently an attempt to pass the original federal Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Illinois in an effort to have three more states ratify the amendment. The supporters of the ERA have a complex legal argument in which they claim that the time deadline of 1979 can be extended. If three more states ratify the ERA, it could become a binding national constitutional amendment. The Illinois House passed it in 2003, but it was blocked in the Illinois Senate. The Equal Rights Amendment will not help women; instead it will harm women, their families, and our society.
The ERA will further entrench abortion in our society and legally mandate taxpayer funding for elective abortions. The New Mexico Supreme Court recently ruled under their state ERA that since only women undergo abortions, the denial of taxpayer funding is "sex discrimination" (N.M. Right to Choose/NARAL v. Johnson, 975 P.2d 841, 1998).
Clearly the ERA will harm women, families, society, and the structure of our government. Please contact your state senator and state representative today to urge them to vote NO on the Equal Rights Amendment. You can find contact information for your state legislators at (217) 782-2000 or visit: http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx
