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West Virginia Senate adopts resolution rescinding 1972 ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment

By David Beard, The Dominion Post

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A divided state Senate on Friday adopted a resolution to rescind the state’s prior ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. The fate of the ERA has been the subject of recent debates in Congress and this could add to the confusion if the House takes it up and adopts it.

SCR 44 is sponsored by all 23 GOP senators. Sen. Donna Boley, R-Pleasants is lead sponsor. The other two female GOP senators, Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and Amy Grady, R-Mason, both signed on and Rucker explained the resolution on the Senate floor.

The resolution explains that the ERA was proposed in 1972. The amendment’s preamble set a seven-year deadline – March 22, 1979 – for it to be ratified by 38 states. West Virginia ratified it on April 22, 1972.

But the deadline wasn’t met, the resolution says, and West Virginia’s ratification lapsed at 11:59 p.m. on March 22, 1979. Therefore, the Legislature, “while in agreement women and men should enjoy equal rights in the eyes of the law,” should not be counted by the federal government as still having a live ratification on record…

To read more: https://www.dominionpost.com/2022/02/11/state-senate-adopts-resolution-rescinding-1972-ratfication-of-the-equal-rights-amendment/

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