Sheila Jackson Lee: “For as long as I have been here in the United States Congress, which is more than two decades, we have been fighting to…”

“For as long as I have been here in the United States Congress, which is more than two decades, we have been fighting to add to the Constitution a perfectly sensible amendment, one that does not offend the American people. It simply says that the equal rights amendment declares that women are equal in this Nation from the early suffragette days to the days of Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Susan B. Anthony. That is only a fair statement, that the rights of women should be considered part of the Constitution. Unfortunately, today, the United States Senate voted it down when 51 of our Senators, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, whom I met outside the Senate Chambers, wanted to make sure that the Constitution stood on its four points of equality, justice, opportunity, and democracy. We will continue to fight until the equal rights amendment is passed fairly in this Nation and for the world to see, as they have admired us for our principles of freedom, that we believe in freedom for all the people of this Nation, men and women and families. That is extremely important. It is sad that it was voted down today by our friends on the other side of the aisle. ____________________”