Religious freedom has been an issue for most people, wherein there are times that their freedom to express their religious beliefs is being halted. Catholic Bishops have expressed their concern about the possible harm to religious liberty that could emerge from the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) following the Senate effort to remove the deadline for it's approval.
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposal to amend the Constitution to ensure that all Americans receive equal legal rights regardless of their gender. Recently, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote a letter to the Senate expressing their concerns about the potential impact of the ERA on religious freedom and the public at large. They believe that the amendment could have negative consequences in both areas.
Catholic Bishops Worried That ERA Might Violate Religious Freedom
According to the letter of USCCB, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) can impact religious liberty and conscience protection. Private charities that provide a range of services may be forced to change their facilities, speech, and practices to support abortion or affirm "gender identities" in contradiction to their religious beliefs.
Churches and faith-based organizations may also have difficulty obtaining and using conscience protections due to perceived conflicts with the sexual nondiscrimination norms of the ERA, which would override conflicting statutory protections.
The ERA could also make it difficult for faith-based organizations to compete for public resources alongside secular organizations. Healthcare providers might not be eligible for government funding if they refuse to perform an abortion or transgender surgery since doing so might constitute sex discrimination. These concerns have led some to oppose the ERA and argue it could undermine religious freedom.
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The Equal Rights Amendment
According to Fox News, in almost a hundred years since it was first proposed, a joint resolution has been introduced by Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland to revisit the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). All Americans, regardless of sex, would be given "equal rights under the law" under the proposed amendment to the Constitution.
Congress passed the amendment in 1972, but only 30 of the required 38 states had approved it within the seven-year deadline. The deadline was later extended but expired in 1982. The resolution would remove the deadline for approval, recognizing the ERA as valid and bringing women and LGBTQ+ individuals closer to constitutional equality. Pressley urged Congress to act swiftly in ratifying the ERA to end legal discrimination against women and the LGBTQ+ community.
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which attempts to ignore gender discrimination in both state and federal laws, was first a proposed amendment to the U.S. constitution. Its main tenet is that legal rights shouldn't be based on sex, according to Britannica. According to the Equal Rights Amendment, no one's rights shall be denied or restricted by the United States or any state based on their sex. The amendment can be implemented with the help of Congress.
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