U.S. Se. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), of Brookhaven, voted Thursday against a resolution to declare the Equal Rights Amendment ratified as part of the United States Constitution.

Hyde-Smith said Congress lacks the authority to add the ERA to the Constitution by removing the ratification deadline set by Congress more than 50 years ago, when the amendment was sent to states to be ratified.

Mississippi did not ratify the ERA, nor did Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona and Arkansas.

“Supporters of the ERA like to spin it as necessary to protect women’s rights when the truth is just the opposite,” Hyde-Smith said. “Adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution would undo many of the rights won by women over the last 50 years. The painful side effects for religious liberties, pro-life protections, and other issues would be far-reaching as well. ERA advocates need to start a new constitutional amendment process if they’re serious about this issue.”

Supporters of Senate Joint Resolution 4 failed to get the 60 votes needed to proceed to debate on the measure. The 51-47 vote was largely symbolic on the part of the Democrat majority, with its chances of passage in the U.S. House of Representatives dim, at best, according to Hyde-Smith’s office.

Chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, Hyde-Smith testified in February against the ERA and introduced Senate Resolution 107 in March, outlining why SJ Res. 4 is legally illegitimate. Twenty senators co-sponsored the bill, including Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).