Meghan Markle, who said she and Prince Harry had a “guttural” reaction to Roe v. Wade being struck down by the Supreme Court, suggested in a recent interview that she might soon travel to Washington to rally support for the Equal Rights Amendment.
Markle — who reportedly has expressed political ambitions, including running to become the first female president — talked with feminist icon Gloria Steinem in Vogue about the Supreme Court’s decision and the future of the ERA.
Steinem talked about the need to get Americans to the polls to elect pro-choice candidates, saying “we can make clear that reproductive freedom is a fundamental right like freedom of speech.”
“It’s a much larger conversation about why for years, for decades, we’re fighting to get a constitutional amendment put through [the Equal Rights Amendment] that makes it clear that women can be treated equally, and how it is completely nonsensical that that’s even something we’re still fighting for,” the Duchess of Sussex responded.
“And Gloria, you know, we’ve talked about how to continue to push that through. I think now is probably the time more than ever before,” she continued.
Steinem then claimed that the US is the only democracy in the world in which women aren’t reflected in the constitution, remarking that billboards should be erected outside airports to greet visitors: “‘Welcome to the only democracy in the world that doesn’t include women.’ Maybe that would embarrass people into action.”
“The ERA has been ratified by the requisite number of states and we should put the pressure on the White House and Congress to enact it,” Steinem said.
Markle, 40, responded: “Well, Gloria, maybe it seems as though you and I will be taking a trip to D.C. together soon.”
In fact, the ERA was ratified by 35 of the required 38 states before the initial March 1979 deadline. Three more states (Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia) have voted to ratify the amendment in recent years, but most experts believe those votes to be symbolic.
The royal’s political ambitions have been a point of speculation in the US and in the United Kingdom.
Reports indicate she has been working with Democrats to build fundraising and campaign teams for a potential White House run in 2024 if President Biden decides not to mount a re-election bid.
A British politician who served with former Prime Minister Tony Blair and has close ties to DC, has remarked about the “Suits” star’s future in politics.
“The Blairite, internationalist and Democratic Party networks are buzzing with talk about Meghan’s political ambitions and potential backers,” the anonymous source told the Daily Mail.
Markle’s biographer, Omid Scobie, is on record saying that Markle has her “eyes set on the US presidency.”
“Meghan is the embodiment of the American dream. One day we may see Meghan become president,” Scobie, the author of “Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family,” said in a documentary film.
