Prop 1: NYS Equal Rights Amendment

In November 2024, voters have the opportunity to amend the New York State Constitution and ensure equality for all.

New York State's Equality Amendment would prohibit discrimination by the government based on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex — including their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. It would also protect against any government actions that would limit a person’s reproductive autonomy or their access to reproductive health care. For the first time, the ERA would explicitly include language to clarify that discrimination based on a person’s pregnancy or pregnancy outcome is sex discrimination. This clarification is essential given the national trend of criminalizing women for various pregnancy outcomes, as well as the Supreme Court’s action in overturning Roe v. Wade.

I believe that a free, fair, and just society requires that everyone's rights are protected equally under the law and that everyone be given equal opportunity.

From personal experience, I know I have had advantages that are not automatically given to everyone in our society. In my lifetime, the first Catholic was elected President (and was subsequently assassinated); Black people's right to vote was enforced (and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated); women were given control over their reproductive health (and the Supreme Court took it away in 2022); gay, lesbian, and Trans people were given the right to marry (but efforts continue to limit or eliminate that right).

The proposed amendment to the New York State Constitution — which is on this year’s ballot — will help deliver on our ideal of a free, fair, and just society that guarantees equal rights to all. As a Member of the Assembly, I will always stand up for equal rights for all of us. By contrast, our current Assembly Member voted NO on placing this amendment before voters on the ballot.