Republicans pointed to former Supreme Court judge and champion for gender equality, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, by condemning the House vote on Wednesday to pass a joint resolution to remove the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment.
Despite a recent federal court decision that said the ERA had long since expired, four Republicans joined the Democrats in a 222-204 vote to pass a resolution tabled by California Democratic Rep Jackie Speier and Republican Congressman Tom Reed from Nova York.
House minority leader Steve Scalise, a Republican, said “it was the lowest and worst total vote that ERA has had in the past 50 years.”
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Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment in January 2020 – finally reaching the number of states necessary to officially create the 28th amendment. Republicans argue that this happened 40 years later, as the ratification period had already been extended from 1977 to 1982.
Frustrated members of the GOP House noted Ginsburg’s comments about reviving ERA during an interview in February last year.
“I would like to see a new beginning,” said Scalise, quoting the liberal icon, during a conference call from the Republican Party after the House vote.
During a Georgetown University law school event last year, Ginsburg said: “There is a lot of controversy about latecomers.
“In addition, several states have withdrawn their ratification. So if you count a latecomer on the positive side, how can you ignore the states that say, ‘Have we changed our minds?’ ”, She added.
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Republicans condemned Democratic pressure as an attempt to codify the right to abortion without any limitations and to allow transgender women to dominate uncontrolled sporting events.
“We don’t need that. As American women, we already have rights,” said Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo. Adding that she does not “want liberal Democrats to use women” to approve her agenda in Congress.
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Ginsburg said he supported the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, but felt that if Democrats wanted to prioritize amending the constitution to include the ERA, they needed to create new legislation – something that members of the Republican House Chamber said they encouraged.
Scalise supported the review of the ERA to include pro-life protections.