Meryl Streep is taking the active approach when it comes to the fight for equal pay. The actress has reportedly sent letters to members of congress, urging them to support an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment has been a long time coming, too. Written in 1920, it wasn’t passed by Congress until 1972, to be ratified by the states. Thirty-five states ratified the amendment, but 38 states need to do so in order for it to be added to the Constitution. The Equal Rights Amendment “[affirms] the equal application of the Constitution to all persons regardless of their sex,” according to the amendment’s website. The amendment has been stalled since 1982.
Streep is urging congress to resurrect the ERA, especially in these times when equal pay and treatment under the law is such a hot topic. “A whole new generation of women and girls are talking about equality – equal pay, equal protection from sexual assault, equal rights,” Streep wrote in her letter. She included a copy of Equal Means Equal by ERA president Jessica Neuwirth in the packet.
The proposed amendment states 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.” Sounds pretty reasonable and like something that should already be in the Constitution in the first place. Hopefully, we will finally see it written into law.
[via US News]
