85% of UN Member States have constitutions that guarantee equality or prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex and/or gender. The United States is not one of them.
When finally incorporated into the Constitution as the 28th Amendment, the ERA will provide protection against sex discrimination at a constitutional level. Because discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation is sex discrimination, the ERA will make it much harder for legislative bodies or courts to weaken or overturn established LGBTQ+ legal rights, such as marriage equality or non-discrimination in employment.
As part of our, I Need the ERA Because… campaign, launched to mark Women’s Equality Day 2022, we take a closer look at how the ERA would help move the needle on crucial issues facing everyone in the United States today.
Explore our factsheet on how the ERA would impact laws relating to sex discrimination in the United States.
I need the ERA because…reproductive rights are human rights – Abortion
By rightfully framing access to reproductive healthcare, including access to legal abortion, as fundamental to ensuring gende…
I need the ERA because… I have the right to bodily integrity – FGM
Despite the prevalence of the practice in the USA and the persisting risk to many women and girls, 20% of American states do …
I need the ERA because… one in three women experience violence in her lifetime – Gender Based Violence
Data shows that marginalized communities, such as indigenous women, Black women, and young women will be disproportionately a…
I need the ERA because…a girl is not a wife – Child marriage
It is estimated by Unchained at Last that about 300,000 children were married in the United States between 2000 and 2018, the…