On ERA anniversary, there's renewed call for ratification

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A congresswoman called Saturday for a renewed effort to have the Equal Rights Amendment ratified as an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as women celebrated the 25th anniversary of its congressional passage.

About 50 women met at the historic Washington home of the late suffragette Alice Paul, who helped write the amendment.

"Women of the U.S. are still not people under the law because the ERA failed to gain ratification," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York.

The amendment was ratified by 35 state legislatures, three short of the number required, by the June 1982 deadline.

Among those attending the gathering were former congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman of New York and author and feminist leader Betty Friedan.

Maloney and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, were among 41 bipartisan members of Congress who reintroduced the ERA bill in Congress this week.

"In a sense, action now is more important than ever ... Too many women and girls still face unfair and discriminatory barriers in their education, careers, sports and other goals," Kennedy said in a statement Saturday.

Related sites:

• NOW - National Organization for Women
• The Equal Rights Amendment - from NOW

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