How Will Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment Affect Laws and Governmental Action Concerning Women?
The system of laws in the United States is like a patchwork quilt: the rights of individuals in one State vary greatly from the rights of individuals in another; and where the actions of individuals are subject to Federal laws, their rights may be different still. This Federal system of government was carefully incorporated in the United States Constitution, and respect for the coexistence of State and Federal jurisdictions is basic to the Nation. Within this system, however, certain principles of freedom and individual dignity have been viewed as preeminent. Thus, individual States are free to govern as they choose, but they may not interfere with freedom of speech; they may not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, or religion; they may not deny an individual the right to vote on the basis of race or of sex. The proposed Equal Rights Amendment is consistent with this scheme. It makes clear that men and women should be treated equally by all levels of government–the exc
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