[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 61 (Thursday, April 26, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S2810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PASSAGE OF THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, the following statement is from Senator 
Birch Bayh in honor of the 40th anniversary of Congressional passage of 
the Equal Rights Amendment:

       Recent events have seen an assault on those who provide 
     health care services to women and we have even seen questions 
     raised anew about issues like contraception. It may have been 
     40 years since we passed the ERA in Congress but the reasons 
     why many of us tried to write women's rights into the 
     Constitution are still with us today.
       As the Chief Senate Sponsor and floor leader of the Equal 
     Rights Amendment, I remember well the intensity of the battle 
     we fought in the early 1970's. America's history has been a 
     steady expansion of individual rights, beginning with the 
     expansion of the franchise in our early years. From the 
     rights of former slaves after the Civil War to the expansion 
     of the vote for women and then for 18 year olds, we have 
     codified in our Constitution an ongoing commitment to 
     individual rights. It seemed fitting then, and seems fitting 
     now, that our Constitution speak loudly and clearly that the 
     law allow no discrimination on the basis of gender.
       While the principles involved in this battle remain, the 
     country has evolved quite a bit since 1972. In 1972 there 
     were 2 women in the U.S. Senate and 13 in the House of 
     Representatives. Now there are 17 women Senators and 75 
     Congresswomen. There were no female Governors in 1972 and had 
     been only 3 in all our history before that, there are 6 now. 
     We have had a female Speaker of the House and have scores of 
     CEOs, business owners and leaders in all walks of life who 
     are female. The number of women elected to state legislatures 
     across the country is larger than ever before. The number of 
     women in the military cannot be compared to the numbers 40 
     years ago. And in a recent issue of Newsweek, long-time 
     Supreme Court reporter Nina Totenberg spoke about taking the 
     job at NPR in the 70s because the pay was too low for men to 
     want the job.
       There has indeed been progress, but the principles remain 
     the same. To open the sports pages in the morning is to see 
     female athletes in a number of sports. To watch the 
     television news in the evening has us watching many female 
     anchor persons, weather ladies, and sports announcers. Even 
     the major sports telecasts regularly involve on-air female 
     broadcasters. But is there equal pay for equal work today? 
     Are there still obstacles on the professional paths to 
     boardrooms for women? Is sexual harassment still a prominent 
     issue in offices around America and in our military?
       It is still fitting in the 21st century for our nation to 
     include in its basic law the principle that discrimination 
     based on sex has no place in American life. It is fitting for 
     our daughters and granddaughters to be reminded that their 
     parents and grandparents took a stand to protect their 
     futures and to ensure that they have an equal place in modern 
     America.
       In closing, let me stress that the ERA is still the right 
     thing to do, not only in principle but in every day practice. 
     Thank you for your continued, dedicated efforts.

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