Outgoing President Joe Biden said that the Equal Rights Amendment should be ratified to enshrine equal rights in the U.S. Constitution [1].
The move highlights a long-standing legal struggle to guarantee gender equality under federal law. Because the amendment requires ratification by three-fourths of the states, the push reflects a broader political battle over constitutional interpretation, and civil rights.
Biden's endorsement occurred on Jan. 17, 2025 [1]. The president's support aims to provide a permanent legal foundation for equality that does not rely on the shifting priorities of different administrations or court rulings.
While the federal executive branch has signaled support, the effort faces resistance at the state level. In New York, for example, opposition campaigns have utilized billboards to urge voters to reject the proposed Equal Rights Amendment [2]. This local pushback illustrates the friction between national political goals and state-level electoral politics.
New York's specific referendum on the amendment was set for a ballot date of Nov. 5, 2024 [2]. The divergence in sentiment between the White House and certain local campaigns underscores the difficulty of achieving the necessary state consensus for a constitutional change.
The debate over the amendment often centers on whether existing laws and the 14th Amendment already provide sufficient protections. Supporters argue that an explicit amendment is necessary to prevent future legal rollbacks of gender-based protections.
“Biden said that the Equal Rights Amendment should be ratified”
The push for the Equal Rights Amendment represents a strategic attempt to move gender equality from statutory law—which can be changed by Congress—to constitutional law. However, the contrast between Biden's endorsement and the organized opposition in states like New York shows that the amendment remains a polarizing issue, making the high threshold for ratification a significant hurdle.
