Pushback against proposed Equal Rights Amendment

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)— Located on the back of the ballot will be Proposition One, an amendment that if passed, would make some changes the state’s constitution.

https://www.news10.com/news/proposition-one-up-for-a-vote-in-nys/

“The section on discrimination hasn’t been opened and looked at since the 1930s,” explained Senator Liz Krueger, who authored the amendment.

Krueger would like to modernize the constitution to include age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy outcomes to the list of protections, among others.

Supporters say by adding pregnancy outcomes, abortion would be enshrined in the state’s constitution.

New York State Bishops, are calling the proposition a wolf in sheep’s clothing adding, “This amendment disregards the lives of unborn and struggling children in the name of political agendas. It could have dangerous consequences for these children and their parents.”

They’re not the only group against the amendment. Protect Kids-NY as well as some in the Republican and conservative parties claim it will negatively impact girl sports.

Conservative Party chairman Gerard Kassar said, “The Conservative Party has been warning for months that the carelessly written Prop 1 Ballot Amendment would lead to boys and biological males gaining a Constitutional right to play on girls sports teams in New York. Respected independent media fact checker Politifact confirmed that today,”

The Politifact article notes that the state already provides protections for transgender athletes to play on teams alligning with their gender identity.

In an interview on Tuesday, Senator Liz Krueger, was asked about some of the concerns groups have been sharing.

“I feel like it’s a bit of whack-a-mole,” said Krueger. “They keep coming up with more and more absurd things to panic people when this is just a fundamental question of do we think in New York State, all New Yorkers should have equal rights under our laws.”

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