Democrats intensify calls to add Equal Rights Amendment to Constitution

As President Joe Biden’s term nears its end, Democratic lawmakers are intensifying calls for him to make one final push to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment—a constitutional amendment that would enshrine gender equality in the U.S. Constitution. 

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and outgoing Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri are at the forefront of this movement, and have urged Biden multiple times over several years to act before the clock runs out on his presidency.

According to a report by The Hill, Bush spoke passionately about the issue on Tuesday from outside the Capitol.

“The publication of the Equal Rights Amendment may be long overdue, but the stakes for gender equality have never been higher,” said Bush, cofounder with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, of the Congressional ERA Caucus. “Our bodies, our rights, our lives are on the line.”