Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania because of the race or ethnicity of the individual. 00c129v. Section Five of the Fourteenth Amendment vests Congress with the authority to adopt "appropriate" legislation to enforce the other parts of the Amendment.One of the purposes of the Fourteenth Amendment was to provide federal protection of individual rights against the states. Discrimination and the protection of individual rights than the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment. Since 1968, the year Pennsylvania's current constitution went into effect, voters rejected only six of 49 proposed amendments that reached them. Since 1968, the year Pennsylvania's current constitution went into effect, voters rejected only six of 49 proposed amendments that reached them. In this opinion, references to the Due Process Clause refer to the. Fourteenth Amendment, unless otherwise specified. (WHTM) The 14th Amendment precludes anyone from running for president if they are "engaged in insurrection or rebellion.