Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Voters in New York will decide on a statewide ballot proposal called Proposal One (also known as the New York Equal Rights Amendment). If approved, the language of this amendment to the NY State Constitution could be used to make abortion at any stage a state constitutional right, and it may affect parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children.
The New York State Catholic Conference opposes ballot Proposal One. The NYS Catholic Conference argues that this vaguely worded amendment to the state constitution as proposed by the NYS legislature could undermine the right to life and parents’ rights.
Proposal One would replace existing state protections with new measures that the NYS Catholic Conference believes have not been thoroughly discussed. While abortion is already legal in the state, the language used in the proposal could be used to embed the right to abortion at any stage into the state constitution, making future challenges difficult. There is also concern that Prop One could potentially lead to state authority over parental rights in medical decisions for minors, including life-altering decisions for children about gender identity without parental approval or notification.
The NY State Catholic Conference encourages voting NO on Proposal One this November.
Additional Information
Read the text of Ballot Proposal One at www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot.
Read an analysis of the implications of Proposal One from Human Life Review.
Read the concerns expressed by parental rights groups at ProtectKidsNY.com.
