Hoyer Statement on Women's Equality Day

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today in recognition of Women's Equality Day: 

“Today, as we celebrate Women's Equality Day, we honor the countless suffragists who pushed for the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment 103 years ago. Thanks to their courageous efforts in the face of fierce and frequently violent opposition, women received the constitutional right to vote. They helped our nation come closer to realizing its founding promise of equality of opportunity. A hundred years ago, those same women first proposed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would ensure that the Constitution upholds gender equality in all aspects of American society. A century later, new generations of women have assumed their mantle and continue to champion the ERA and the fight for a more inclusive America for all.

“Their advocacy is especially crucial as extreme Republicans advance a radical regressive campaign to undermine women's rights nationwide. Ever since the Republican-appointed majority on the Supreme Court overturned women's constitutional right to reproductive freedom last summer with its radical Dobbs v. Jackson decision, brave women and their allies in every community across America have taken to the streets to protest, organize, and make their voices heard. Women have led the charge both to defeat multiple state ballot initiatives to restrict women's access to reproductive health care and to secure other referenda to enshrine the Roe v. Wade precedent in their state constitutions. Last Congress, I was proud to help lead House Democrats to pass the Women's Health Protection Act to codify the Roe precedent in federal law as well as other pieces of legislation to strengthen protections for those seeking reproductive care. Republicans, however, prevented this legislation from becoming law – a reminder that the greatest tool we have to affect change is that same sacred right to vote for which so many suffragists devoted their lives.

“Democrats will not yield in our commitment to promoting women's equality, whether on the issue of women's reproductive rights or on any of the other many challenges facing women in America today. From pushing for the ERA to strengthening our childcare system to creating greater economic opportunity and equity for American women, House Democrats will continue to elevate women's voices as we deliver further results for the American people. I look forward to continuing to work with Democrats and women across America to ensure that equality of opportunity is a reality for all.”