The New York State Assembly and Senate both voted for the second time last week to approve a bill that would codify abortion as a right in the state’s constitution. The vote passed with a 94-45 vote in the Assembly, and a 42-20 vote in the Senate.
In July 2022, lawmakers first passed the Equal Rights Amendment during a special session. In order for the bill to advance, it had to pass the legislature twice. Now, following the second passage, it heads to voters for final approval. The amendment would read:
Provides that no person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof; provides no person shall, because of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, creed, religion, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive healthcare and autonomy, be subjected to any discrimination in their civil rights by any other person or by any firm, corporation, or institution, or by the state or any agency or subdivision of the state.
Though New York is already heavily pro-abortion, lawmakers believe that enshrining a right to determine “pregnancy outcomes” will further protect abortion from the possibility of future pro-life laws protecting preborn human lives.
“As other states take extreme measures to stymie progress and roll back reproductive rights, New York will always lead the way to combat discrimination in all forms and protect abortion access,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said of the bill’s passage.
Hochul also claimed to be the first governor of New York to “ever raise children” (forgetting that past governors were also parents) — and made motherhood sound like more of a burden than a privilege.
“I’m the first governor in the state of New York to ever have had a pregnancy, ever raise children, ever had to go through all the screaming,” Hochul stated at a rally with abortion activists. “I know more than any governor before me of what it’s like to be a woman and whether someone else in Washington has the right to take away what I should be able to decide on my own.”
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “Here in New York we will never let the extremist, anti-choice agenda to prevent anyone from accessing reproductive health care.”
However, Republican Assemblyman Chris Tague expressed his concern that the wording could negatively impact people’s religious beliefs. “Those of us who take our faith and our religion very seriously are very concerned about lawsuits against the church or against a certain faith or religion,” he told Spectum News NY.
Sen. George Borrello also spoke against the amendment. “Unfortunately, like so many pieces of legislation, it goes too far,” he said. “It’s very vague, it’s very broad. In the end, my biggest concern is it will codify late-term abortions into the New York state constitution.”
The measure is expected to go before voters in 2024.
