The fight over Prop 1 is growing as Democrats push for its passage

A wide range of senior Democrats demonstrated in support of New York's Equal Rights Amendment last weekend, arguing that the proposal would protect a larger portion of the population on the ballot next month.

Proposition 1 would expand the state constitution's protections against unequal treatment to include race, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy. Currently, the state constitution provides protections based on race, creed, color or religion.

The heated debate over Proposition 1 continues to ignite the passions of elected officials and candidates and their supporters in both major parties. Many Democrats have argued that its passage was necessary to protect abortion rights. Meanwhile, many Republicans have argued that Proposition 1 would allow boys and those who identify as men to compete against girls in school sports, jeopardizing girls' sports and scholarships.

“Prop 1 will ensure that our state constitution protects full equality for all New Yorkers and full reproductive rights, which of course include abortion and contraception,” Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said at Saturday’s rally Yonkers was one of two Westchesters demonstrating in support of the measure.

Another rally was held in Yorktown on Sunday, with a different group of Democratic officials, candidates and advocates appearing to demand support for the initiative.

Speakers at Saturday's rally near the Yonkers train station, which drew more than 50 supporters who braved light but persistent rain, included U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Attorney General Letitia James and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart -Cousins.

As expected, most speakers focused on abortion, one of the key issues in this election cycle since the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in 2022 Roe v. Wade picked up. Stewart-Cousins ​​said when women won the right to abortion in New York in 1970, it received broad bipartisan support, but when she came to the Senate in 2007 in hopes of updating the law, Stewart-Cousins ​​said her Republican colleagues argued that there were no changes. That's not necessary because Roe v. Wade was a settled law.

Proposition 1 received no support from any Republican lawmakers in Albany, she said, and now the GOP has rolled back abortion and reproductive rights in states across the country. According to Lieberman, more than 25 million women now live in states where abortion is completely or almost completely banned.

“What we are dealing with is the well-funded extremist anti-abortion playbook of scaremongering and lies,” Stewart-Cousins ​​said. “So good laws are simply not good enough. We need abortion in our constitution. We must protect our equal rights in our Constitution.”

James added that if voters approved the proposal, decision-making on personal health issues like abortion would fall out of the hands of politicians. She also cited that two Georgia women recently died as a result of that state's strict abortion laws.

“Voting yes on Prop 1 means New Yorkers will never tell a health care provider to withhold care until a patient is an inch away from death, as happened in Georgia,” James said. “Not in this condition. New York will always be the place, the beacon of freedom and individual freedom.”

Tricia Lindsay, who is running against State Senator Shelley Mayer in the 37th race^Th District said she opposes Proposition 1 because there are many other negative consequences that could impact New Yorkers beyond allowing male students or those who identify as men to play on girls' sports teams .

She said the amendment's wording could create challenges where, for example, funding for senior programs could be at risk. Lindsay, a lawyer, predicted there would be a wave of lawsuits over the proposal.

Lindsay also called Democrats' emphasis on abortion a “pretext to focus everyone on this one issue” and divert the public's attention. Including age and gender identity in the amendment could conflict with existing laws, such as the rights of transgender minors and medical procedures without parental consent.

“They know exactly what they are doing because the bills are lined up because some of them have been rejected. People spoke out against it,” Lindsay said. “I was among the groups that demanded that the bills not be passed. So you know. By putting it in the Constitution now, the game changes.”

The state Republican Committee said any new categories listed in Proposition 1 are protected from discrimination under current law. The additional protections would give some greater legal status while creating conflicts with other laws and rights.

“New York Democrats rushed to propose a constitutional amendment and ignored key procedural steps required by the New York Constitution,” the Republican Committee said in a statement. “The Legislature never held a single hearing on the proposal or consulted legal and constitutional scholars on its implications. They completed the process in 2023, but cynically placed the amendment on the ballot at the same time as the 2024 presidential election.”

But Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who also attended last Saturday's rally, called Republican opposition to the “cops” an attempt to intimidate the public. A quarter-century ago, there were discussions about what might happen with the creation of the county's Human Rights Commission, but none of it came to fruition, he said.

Latimer, who is considered favorite to win the round of 16^Th Next month's congressional district seat said, “We're going to win this because we're morally and intellectually right.”

“The far right is under attack and they are not taking it lightly,” Latimer said. “We cannot take the reaction lightly. We will have friends who say to us, 'Isn't this going too far? Aren't we giving additional privileges?' No, we are trying to correct long-standing prejudices and behavior by treating us fairly in all areas.”