Sample text for writing your state legislature members:
Dear [INSERT NAME],
I am writing to solicit your urgent support of the Equal Rights Amendment.
In the words of President Trump, issued right before he signed the W-GDP on February 7 of this year, "American women demonstrate every day that when women are free to thrive and prosper, they create jobs, strengthen our communities, and bring greater peace and prosperity to our nation and all over the world". I agree and women need the U.S. Constitution to grant them equal rights so they can continue to help the U.S. economy and security.
There are multiple reasons for North Carolina to vote for the Equal Rights Amendment. Women influence 83 percent of all spending in our state. If women are paid the same as comparably employed men, equal pay could boost North Carolina’s GDP by $15.6 BILLION, equal to 3 percent of the state’s 2016 GDP, an enormous economic jolt upward. Half of working poor women would be lifted out of poverty. For women with graduate degrees, it would mean a $2 million earnings increase over their lifetimes for them and their families.
I appreciate that many people may oppose the ERA on the basis of abortion. The Equal Rights Amendment would not codify abortion. “The ERA says nothing at all about reproductive rights,” said former Illinois Rep. Steve Andersson, a pro-life, conservative Republican. Andersson, a lawyer, dug through codes and case law and was convinced that the ERA played no role at all, pro or con, in reproductive rights.
Passing the ERA in NC would ensure that equal laws mean equal ENFORCEMENT of laws, meaning that our state’s rape-kit backlog would receive a higher priority by law enforcement. Police officers would have to enforce domestic violence laws and place more priority on restraining orders. Our daughters and wives and sisters would receive justice for sexual violence.
I do hope you will join your colleagues that have already supported this bill. I would love to tell my friends that [INSERT NAME] supports women's rights.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
NC Voter living in[INSERT YOUR COUNTRY]