Historic Women's Bill of Rights Introduced to Congress
WoLF’s model legislation, the Women’s Bill of Rights, inspires congressional resolution
On May 19, 2022, Representatives Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Jim Banks (R-IN), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Mary Miller (R-IL), and Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) presented a modified version of the Women's Bill of Rights as a resolution to the House of Representatives. Co-sponsors of the resolution also include Representatives Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Ronny Jackson (R-TX), and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA). A senate bill was also introduced, led by Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).
Created in collaboration with Independent Women's Voice (IWV), WoLF and IWV originally introduced the Women's Bill of Rights on March 31, 2022. This historic nonpartisan model legislation was created to legally define what a "woman" is, acknowledge that women and girls deserve single-sex spaces, and codify a standard of intermediate scrutiny so the law can legally recognize sex when relevant.
There are only minor differences between the original Women’s Bill of Rights and this congressional resolution. You can download a copy of the original Women’s Bill of Rights here and the Republican Study Committee’s press release here.
Today, WoLF's Executive Director, Dr. Mahri Irvine, was in Washington, D.C. to attend the press conference for this historical occasion and share a message to WoLF supporters. Also, WoLF offered a statement of support for this resolution:
"WoLF applauds the introduction of this Women’s Bill of Rights, an historic and profound resolution that will advance and protect the rights of women in the United States. For too long, women have been told that there is no word to describe us and our experiences. We have seen the definition of “woman” be distorted to promote offensive and harmful sexist stereotypes. This resolution is a clear signal that our voices can no longer be silenced in this way. WoLF proudly co-authored the model Women’s Bill of Rights that inspired this resolution, and we are grateful for the courageous leadership shown by Rep. Lesko and Sen Hyde-Smith, along with their co-leads. The simple, common-sense provisions of this resolution will help ensure that the government does not endorse the falsehood of human sex change, and that spaces and resources for women remain that way."
Although there is nothing in the Women’s Bill of Rights that a pro-woman Democratic legislator would find objectionable, the congressional resolution has so far only received support from Republicans.
WoLF encourages moving beyond strict partisanship and believes that the Women’s Bill of Rights is an excellent opportunity for both parties to come together to bolster sex-based rights in U.S. law and policy.
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