Petition to Add an Equal Rights Amendment to the Kansas Constitution

An Equal Rights Amendment is needed to achieve permanent equality for women.  The only constitutional right explicitly afforded to women is the right to vote.  Women's current legal status is dictated by statutes or court decisions.  Laws can be repealed by a simple majority and court cases overturned.  The ERA will ensure that women's right to equality under the law is safeguarded against infringement.

Equality under the law must be a basic right for all citizens.  The ERA is necessary to establish a set policy, and to set a permanent standard for the elimination of discrimination based on sex.

An Equal Rights Amendment would affirm constitutionally that the bedrock principles of our state, "All men are possessed of equal and inalienable natural rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" applies equally to women.