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{{discrimlaw}}

The '''Equal Rights Amendment''' ('''ERA''') was the informal name of a proposed amendment to the [[United States Constitution | United States Constitution]] passed by Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification within a deadline of seven years.  It nearly passed but a conservative grass-roots movement rose up and stopped it.  It never became law, primarily because it would have drafted women into the Army if men get drafted, and few women wanted that.

The '''Equal Rights Amendment''' ('''ERA''') was the informal name of a proposed amendment to the [[United States Constitution | United States Constitution]] passed by Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification within a deadline of seven years.  It nearly passed but a conservative grass-roots movement rose up and stopped it.  It never became law, primarily because it would have made women subject to the military draft if men were, and few women wanted that.

==Text==

==Text==

The amendment, which was untitled, stated:

The amendment, which was untitled, stated:

:SECTION 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

:SECTION 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

==Possible impact==

==Possible impact==

The purpose of the Amendment was to prohibit many legal distinctions between men and women, and boys and girls.  An all-male draft or male-only combat regimens would presumably have become illegal.<ref>Anti-ERA Phyllis Schlafly quote</ref>  But equal representation of boys and girls on sports teams, and the termination of all-boys or all-girls sports teams, would probably not have been required, since the courts usually treat some gender distinctions as a ''bona fida operating qualification'' for which discrimination is allowed.

The purpose of the Amendment was to prohibit many legal distinctions between men and women, and boys and girls.  An all-male draft or male-only combat regiments would presumably have become illegal.<ref>Anti-ERA Phyllis Schlafly quote</ref>  But equal representation of boys and girls on sports teams, and the termination of all-boys or all-girls sports teams, would probably not have been required, since the courts usually treat some gender distinctions as a ''bona fida operating qualification'' for which discrimination is allowed.

35 out of 38 states passed this amendment, but opposition led by [[Phyllis Schlafly]] ultimately defeated it.<ref>Testimony in 2007 by Phyllis Schlafly against the Equal Rights Amendment is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7iEL54jY9Q here].</ref>  Congress then extended the deadline to 1982 in legislation that a court later invalidated, but no more states passed the amendment in the additional three years anyway.  Several states rescinded their prior passage of the amendment.

35 out of 38 states passed this amendment, but opposition led by [[Phyllis Schlafly]] ultimately defeated it.<ref>Testimony in 2007 by Phyllis Schlafly against the Equal Rights Amendment is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7iEL54jY9Q here].</ref>  Congress then extended the deadline to 1982 in legislation that a court later invalidated, but no more states passed the amendment in the additional three years anyway.  Several states rescinded their prior passage of the amendment.