New York State, which includes the late-term abortion capital, New York City, is apparently not pro-abortion enough for its Governor, Andrew Cuomo (D-NY). As the New York Times reported, and as Cuomo himself boasted in an op-ed for CNN, he plans to make contraception and “all medically necessary abortion services” covered “by commercial health insurance policies without co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles.”
That’s the key, but not the worst, of Cuomo’s column. “There is rarely a clear consensus on every initiative. But on the issue of women’s rights, almost all New Yorkers agree: Equality for women — true equality — shouldn’t simply be a goal for 2017. It must be a right,” he claims, including no examples of how abortion and birth control grant women “equality,” as he goes on to write about his pet project of “reproductive rights.” (Incidentally, the idea that women aren’t equal as they are without these things is inherently anti-woman.)
Cuomo has been unsuccessful in chasing out all who disagree with his extreme abortion stance, but many would remember his words from 2014, asserting those who disagree with such a stance on abortion, among other issues, are not welcome in his state. “Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are,” he said at the time.
According to a poll from the Chirascuro Foundation released in February 2013, however, most New Yorkers are in favor of “sensible restrictions on abortions.” This doesn’t exactly line up with Cuomo’s extreme abortion proposals.
Reuters reported that the governor attended a Planned Parenthood rally and announced a plan to propose a state constitutional amendment making late-term abortion legal even if Roe v. Wade is overturned. New York City already has skyrocketing abortion rates. Reuters notes, “There were 29.6 abortions per 1,000 women in New York in 2014, compared to 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women nationally, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit group that supports abortion rights.”
While many, including New York residents, would consider Cuomo’s proposals extreme, that doesn’t seem to be a concern for everyone. “Republicans control the New York Senate, although it is possible some Republicans might support such an amendment if pressured by constituents who favor abortion rights, said Costas Panagopoulos, a political scientist at New York’s Fordham University,” Reuters noted.
Should these legislators cave into this extremist view, however, they will likely have much to answer for. “For a constitutional amendment to succeed in New York, majorities in the legislature must approve it twice, in successive terms, and voters must approve it,” Reuters explained.
Cuomo’s plan presents an interesting situation for the individual states and their abortion laws. Under Roe, New York could pass such a state constitutional amendment. If Roe were to be overturned tomorrow, however, such a state amendment would stand, unless the passing of a federal law or amendment correctly affirmed the 14th Amendment’s protections for preborn Americans. That is because overturning such a decision would allow states to decide their own abortion laws. However, the general public isn’t likely to know this, based on the sheer panic that comes from abortion advocates and the press regarding the uncertain fate of Roe v. Wade.
New York had legalized abortion even before the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalized abortion nationwide. Under Roe, it is allowed to pass laws and state amendments to make the state more pro-abortion. However, pro-life states cannot say the same and may face an uphill battle with the courts unless Roe is overturned. That is not only wholly unfair to pro-life legislatures and voters, but dangerous for the fate of the preborn everywhere.
