A group that works to promote women in political offices says the South Dakota’s lawsuit against the Equal Rights Amendment is a frivolous waste of tax dollars and time.
Carmen Toft is co-chair of LEAD South Dakota. She says even if passing the ERA in Virginia is largely symbolic and nothing else--that would mean honoring those who pushed for the amendment over the years.
Toft says the state decision to fight the amendment is upsetting.
“To look at all of the problems that we have in our state, that we would be better off spending our time and attention on, and instead we’re going to look at something that may just be… just like a resolution or something we’re doing for a significant purpose, we’re going to take all of our attention and make sure it doesn’t happen," Toft says. "It’s really frustrating.”
The amendment guarantees equality of rights under the law shall not be denied by the US or by any state.
Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg says an amendment to the US constitution should not be added four decades after a congressional deadline.
The lawsuit complaint states that if ratified, the ERA would expose South Dakota to costly litigation and threaten to invalidate several of its duly enacted laws.