NASSAU COUNTY CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC.

"The government is us, we are the government, you and I." Teddy Roosevelt

 

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October 31, 2024

Vote NO New York Prop One

Poorly worded amendment has consequences

The New York State Legislature placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot for this year's election. The plan seeks to codify abortion in the state constitution even though New York now has the most liberal abortion law in the nation with no substantive restrictions. The current law allows for unrestricted abortion and authorizes mid-wife's to perform abortions. If access to abortion in New York is not an issue with the current law, why is the constitutional amendment necessary? The Democrats who control the legislature will say that the reason is to ensure abortion rights cannot be taken away by a possible future Republican controlled legislature and Republican elected Governor. That scenario is highly unlikely given the current political alignment in New York. But even if that were remotely true, why does the amendment include several other non related issues such as Gender Identity and National Origin? Both are already protected under current state law and federal law. To compound matters, the language of the amendment is poorly written even though it was written by our legislature, most of whom have law degrees. So what are the concerns?

The amendment would add several protected classes but in particular National Origin, Gender Identity and Age. The proposal also authorizes the legislature to take further action to eliminate what they define as discrimination. That combined with how the amendment is interpreted by the courts will lead to significant consequences. National Origin make not exception for immigration status thus illegal aliens will be free to argue and receive financial benefits including health care. They would not be prohibited from voting in state and local elections. If Gender Identity is a constitutional right, there would be no limitation for integrating men in all aspects of women's sports and a woman's privacy right would cease to exist. Children would have a right to transition to another sex with or without parental approval. Parental opposition could lead to the removal of their children by child protective services. Protection based on Age would allow children a constitutional right to make decisions without the benefit of being an adult at eighteen. The amendment is so dangerous, even liberal Newsday has urged a NO vote.

 If the legislature believes they need to address abortion, they need to go back to the drawing board and draft an amendment that actually addresses that issue. The current poorly worded amendment fails to do so and will lead to serious consequences that will reward illegal aliens and destroy parental rights. We urge Nassau County and New York residents to vote NO this November 5th.