NY pols OK vote on constitution change to protect abortion
New York’s legislature took a critical step Tuesday toward changing the state’s constitution to bar discrimination based on “pregnancy outcomes” or “gender expression” — provisions intended to protect abortion rights and a person’s right to seek gender-affirming care.
In a pair of afternoon votes, the state’s Senate and Assembly approved an expansion of the constitution’s Equal Protection Amendment, clearing the way for it to go before voters in a statewide ratification referendum in 2024.
While the amendment wouldn’t explicitly preserve a woman’s right to have an abortion, supporters say it would have the practical effect of protecting reproductive rights.