10-15-2023 Women to Watch - Flipbook - Page 44
A woman hold up a sign as members of Congress and representatives of women’s groups hold a rally to mark the 40th anniversary of congressional passage
of the Equal Rights Amendment outside the U.S. Capitol March 2012, in Washington, D.C. GETTY IMAGES
“I think it would
be completely
wonderful to see
Sen. Cardin, who’s
put so much time
and effort in this,
be the person who
is the lead sponsor
when it gets across
the finish line.”
— Bettina Hager, director of the
ERA Coalition in Washington, D.C.
44 | 2023 | WOMEN TO WATCH
already, said Cardin, interviewed recently in the
Capitol Hill office he will vacate when he retires
from the Senate at the end of next year.
“Many states, including Maryland, have an ERA
in their constitutions. The language is different in
different states,” Cardin said. “But we still need the
federal protection because there are tens of millions
of women that are not protected in the states in
which they live. And secondly, the states’ protection
is not as strong as federal protection.”
To Cardin, the ERA will forever be tied to the
women in his life, including Myrna, his wife of
nearly 60 years, and his late mother, Dora, a schoolteacher. “You really get personal about it,” he said.
“My wife has been extremely active and a real ally.
And then, of course, I’m blessed with a daughter
and two granddaughters.”
Cardin has been introducing Senate resolutions
since 2012 to give the ERA a new shot by erasing
previous deadlines for states to ratify it. He says the
Constitution does not mandate a deadline for states
to ratify amendments. None of his measures have
gained the 60 votes needed to overcome Senate
filibusters.
“We have a strict interpretation standard that
applies to discrimination on race and religion. We
want the same protection on gender,” Cardin said.
Bettina Hager, the Washington, D.C., director of
the ERA Coalition, an advocacy organization, has
worked with Cardin on the issue. “I think it would
be completely wonderful to see Sen. Cardin, who’s
put so much time and effort in this, be the person
who is the lead sponsor when it gets across the
finish line,” she said.
Should Congress revive the ERA after Cardin
departs in January 2025, “it wouldn’t have
happened without all the leadership that he’s
shown over the past decade-plus,” Hager said.
Cardin began his political career as a member
of the House of Delegates in 1967 while still a law
student. The senator, who lives in Pikesville, will
have served three six-year terms when he leaves.
He has emphasized international human rights,
the ERA, and assisting Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay.
In April, Cardin’s most recent effort to overcome
a Republican-led filibuster on the ERA received 51
votes, although one supporter, California Democrat
Dianne Feinstein, missed the vote due to illness, and
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer switched his vote