State passes Prop. 1 women’s, LGBT rights amendment

November 6, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Proposition 1 is a constitutional amendment aimed at expanding anti-discrimination protections. Photo: Richard Drew/AP

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STATEWIDE – VOTERS RATIFIED New York’s hotly debated Prop. 1 ballot measure on Tuesday, reports WNYC, with 61% of state voters assenting to amend the state constitution to enhance civil rights protections. Prop. 1, also known as the New York State Equal Rights Amendment, adds several sex- and gender-related provisions to the state’s existing Equal Protection Clause; the clause will now bar discrimination on the basis of “ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex — including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health care and autonomy.”

Supporters of the bill had argued that enshrining reproductive protections in this manner was critical for New York women following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The additional language is intended to make abortion restrictions an unconstitutional form of discrimination within state borders. Opponents sought to argue against it on the grounds that the bill could have unintended consequences, including potentially creating the right for non-citizens to vote, restricting some parental rights, or allowing transgender youth to play on girls’ sports teams.

Ahead of the election, the state Bar Association came out against the claims that parents would not be able to direct their children’s healthcare and that non-citizens would be allowed to vote.

The NYCLU hailed the victory in a press statement: “This vote is a rejection of a regressive national movement to roll-back our hard-won freedoms that has gained in other states. New Yorkers resoundingly said ‘hell no, not here’ to abortion bans and attacks on immigrants and trans people… No matter what happens in the rest of the country, New York is moving forward. In New York, equality and inclusion are now the law of the land.”

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