Certify Equal Rights Amendment to protect reproductive rights

The Equal Rights Amendment stipulates that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." This proposed constitutional amendment met all requirements for ratification when Virginia became the 38th state to approve it in 2020. However, the previous administration declined to publish the ERA as an amendment, citing an outdated deadline that lacks constitutional basis. With reproductive rights under escalating assault nationwide, enshrining gender equality in our founding document is more crucial than ever. The ERA would safeguard access to abortion care and contraception by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex. It is imperative that President Biden instructs the National Archives to rescind the Trump-era memo obstructing the ERA's certification. Doing so would finally enshrine women's equality in the Constitution after over a century of struggle, shielding fundamental freedoms for generations to come. The will of the American people who ratified this amendment through their state legislatures must be upheld.