In high school, during the late '70s, I wrote a research paper on the ERA giving the pros and cons of its ratification. At that time, it did not occur to me that it would NOT become the next amendment to the US Constitution. It was obvious to me that the pros outweighed the cons. Now, 42 years later, it surprises, and shocks, me that we are still fighting for these basic rights to equality. I grew up assuming that the USA was the world leader in human rights, but after moving to Germany and learning that the Grundgesetz has guaranteed equal rights to both men and women since 1949, I started questioning America's role as a champion of the basic rights that all humans worldwide should have. It is hypocritical of us to reprimand other countries for oppressing women and minorities. Let the ERA become the 28th Amendment so that Americans can once again be proud representatives of a country that recognizes that both sexes, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation, make equally significant contributions to our global society. I live in Germany and vote in Illinois.