By Assistant House Majority Leader Rep. Lori K. Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach
At the State House, we’ve heard a lot from Maine’s Republican lawmakers in recent weeks about the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls. If they are serious about protecting these rights – and I truly hope they are – they have a great opportunity to show it by supporting the Maine Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which is again being considered by the Legislature this session.
The ERA is simple: it would amend the state constitution to explicitly guarantee equal legal rights for all Mainers, regardless of sex or gender. You may be surprised to know that this equality is not already included in the constitution.
Passing the ERA would provide a strong legal foundation that would directly help improve the economic security of Maine women, end the gender pay gap in Maine and reduce incidents of sexual harassment and violence against women in the workplace. These should be outcomes that all of my colleagues at the State House can agree on, regardless of our party affiliation. But that hasn’t always been the case.
After being elected to the Legislature in 2018, I had the honor to serve alongside the late Honorable Lois Galgay Reckitt for five years. There was no more tenacious advocate for Maine women and families than Lois, who worked her entire career to promote gender equality, prevent domestic violence, and support survivors of assault and abuse. She served in the Maine House until her death in 2023.
Lois introduced the ERA during every term she served in the Legislature. Each time it came up for a vote, every single Democrat voted in support of the bill, with the goal of putting it on the statewide ballot for all Maine voters to weigh in. Disappointingly, one – just one – Republican House member ultimately voted for it over that entire stretch.
Of course, the ERA is just one of the many critical pieces of legislation impacting Maine women and girls that we will consider at the State House, albeit an easy and straightforward one. But it is not the only one that Republicans have opposed in recent years.
Again and again, Republican state legislators have voted against the rights of Maine women to make their own choices about their reproductive health. They’ve voted against programs to make child care more affordable for working moms. And they’ve opposed policies that would allow new moms to take time off to bond with a newborn baby before returning to work, just to name a few.
That hasn’t stopped them from trying to take credit as the party that cares more about issues of gender equality. At a news conference this week, one House Republican claimed that Democrats are trying to “erase women” from history books – a claim that is as ludicrous as it is laughable. Actions speak louder than words. If Maine’s Republican lawmakers are truly concerned about those holding back Maine women and girls, they should take a long, hard look in the mirror – and at their voting records.
The good news is that Republicans have another real chance this session to support legislation that will actually strengthen the rights of Maine women and girls: the Maine ERA. Every legislative Democrat has already signed on as a co-sponsor, and we look forward to supporting the amendment when it reaches the floor of the full House and Senate.
We hope Republicans will join us, but if the past is prologue, this newfound concern about the rights of women and girls will be all talk followed up by no action.
I hope they prove me wrong.
Rep. Lori K. Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, is the assistant House majority leader. She is serving her fourth term in the Maine House.