A last minute maneuver by Democrats to resurrect the Equal Rights Amendment for a floor vote in the Virginia House of Delegates has failed, weeks after the bill originally died in committee.
Republican Delegate Todd Gilbert says the ERA is unnecessary and would create a constitutional protection for abortion.
“Last Friday the Alaska Supreme Court used their ERA language in their state constitution that says because of sex…that the state can’t even limit taxpayer funding for abortion under their state law through Medicaid.”
Democratic Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy says the ERA is necessary to help end sex discrimination and gender based violence and guarantee equal pay for equal work for women.
“The misinformation and fear that you choose to spread about abortion will not give you cover for voting against the ERA.”
If Virginia had ratified it, the ERA would have met the 38 state threshold to amend the U.S. Constitution.