Peter Rodino (D-N.J.), who reintroduced ERA.

I have previously written about the close tie between the issue of abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and how the failure to attach an abortion neutral provision to the ERA resulted in its defeat. I will examine here the 1983 vote in which the ERA, being reintroduced by Rep. Peter Rodino (D-N.J.) after failing to be ratified in 1982, failed to pass on November 15^th and how legislators measured up on a vote barring federal funds for abortion. The closest vote on abortion to compare with the ERA vote of 1983 is the September 22^nd vote on Rep. Silvio Conte’s (R-Mass.) amendment. I have charted the vote here, with lifetime Americans for Constitutional Action scores for these individuals. Because 1984 was the last year ACA did their scoring, this is how they would have been seen in that session. There are a few legislators who are still in office now.

Abortion Restriction and ERA Vote:

Silvio Conte (R-Mass.), who sponsored a 1983 amendment deleting funds for abortions.

A few observations regarding these votes…

A legislator who supported ERA had a 66% chance of opposing the abortion restriction and a 40% chance of supporting.

A legislator who opposed ERA had a 93% chance of supporting the abortion restriction, and a legislator who opposed the abortion restriction had a 95% chance of supporting ERA.

Only ten representatives were opposed to both Conte’s amendment and the ERA. These were Al McCandless (R-Calif.), Richard Thomas (D-Ga.), J. Roy Rowland (D-Ga.), Robert Whittaker (R-Kan.), Earl Coleman (R-Mo.), Edwin Forsythe (R-N.J.), Tim Valentine (D-N.C.), James Martin (R-N.C.), James Broyhill (R-N.C.), and Tommy Vandergriff (D-Tex.).

Al Gore supports both ERA and abortion restriction.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) supports abortion restriction and opposes ERA!

John McCain supports abortion restriction and opposes the ERA.

Ed Markey, today known as one of the most liberal members of the Senate, votes for restricting abortion funding as do a majority of Massachusetts representatives! All voted for the ERA, and all but amendment sponsor Silvio Conte were Democrats, and Conte was also a liberal.

Richard Durbin of Illinois, currently Senate Minority Whip, votes for both abortion restriction and the ERA.

Chuck Schumer of New York, currently Senate Minority Leader, votes against abortion restriction and for the ERA.

2016 Republican contender John Kasich of Ohio votes for abortion restriction and against the ERA, as does current Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

Ron Wyden of Oregon, who is a senator now, votes against abortion restriction and for the ERA.

Jamie Whitten of Mississippi is the only legislator to switch from opposing the ERA in 1971 to support in 1983. Whitten’s conservatism began waning in the mid-1970s and really started going downhill after he became chairman of the Appropriations Committee in 1979. He changed significantly to accommodate the Democratic leadership; since 1975 seniority was no longer a guarantee for a chairmanship.

Also, a word on abortion. This is one issue in which the parties truly have polarized and polarized hard over time. It is downright unimaginable today that most of North Carolina’s representatives vote against abortion restriction while 70% of Massachusetts’ representatives vote for. There is also a far greater Catholic Democrat factor here than now in support for abortion restrictions. There are some legislators here who support abortion restrictions but later oppose them. One such figure who I’ve noted before is Florida’s Bill Nelson, who performed an almost entire 180 flip as senator. With this vote you not only see the diversity of opinion within the parties on this issue but also the level of ideological diversity that existed in 1983…far less than now.

References

To amend H.R. 3913, a bill appropriating $96.16 billion in funds for the Departments of Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1984. The Conte Amendment prohibits use of funds to perform abortions. (motion passed). Voteview.

Retrieved from

https://voteview.com/rollcall/RH0980334

To suspend the rules and pass H.J. Res. 1, a bill proposing a amendment to the Constitution of the United states relative to equal rights for men and women (motion failed; 2/3 required). Voteview.

Retrieved from

https://voteview.com/rollcall/RH0980469