In the United States, such celebrations turned attention to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a proposed amendment to the constitution that would guarantee “equal rights under the law” to all Americans regardless of sex. The amendment was first proposed nearly 100 years ago, not long after passage of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote. The ERA, written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman, came in response to what many feminists at the time regarded as limitations that persisted despite the 19th Amendment. Feminist groups, including the National Woman’s Party, had campaigned for specific issues, but the ERA was regarded as a comprehensive constitutional amendment. Opponents of the ERA – including some women’s reform groups – argued that the amendment would damage existing laws that protected women against exploitation.

Source: Fox News March 12, 2020 02:03 UTC