This November you and voters across New York State are going to be able to vote yes or no, up or down, on the “Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).” The referendum is going to be on every ballot this year.
One parental advocate wants to make sure you know there’s far more to what will happen to moms and dads if voters approve of this in the November election.
Greg Garvey is the Executive Director of the “Coalition to Protect Kids” and recently spoke at the New York State Conservative Party conference in Albany.
Garvey has a stark warning for parents: you better find out fast exactly what the “Equal Rights Amendment” entails and how it will impact your kids.
“This wording might appear innocuous to the casual reader. It really should be called the ‘Parent Replacement Act.’ It guts parental rights as we know it,” said Garvey.
On the surface, it would appear difficult to argue most points found in the Equal Rights Amendment that will be on your November ballot. The beginning of it reads:
“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.”
Proponents include the New York Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood, who both publicly praised the fact that voters will be allowed to vote in a referendum on the Equal Rights Amendment.
“While New York has a robust set of anti-discrimination statutes, our state Constitution is inadequate when it comes to ensuring equality,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman.
“Voters will go to the ballot box and make a critical decision that would not only defend our reproductive rights in our State’s foundational document, but also protect New Yorkers from discrimination,” said Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts Interim President and CEO Georgana Hanson.
According to the “Coalition to Protect Kids” Executive Director the ERA would strip parental rights and shift decision making to the government and school districts, not moms and dads. Changes according to Garvey potential ramifications could be:
Requires comprehensive sexuality instruction for children in Kindergarten through grades 12.
New York State government would have more authority than parents in making medical decisions for children.
Children under the age of 18 could have the right to surgical and non surgical transgender procedures without parental permission.
Parents would be forced to pay for those procedures, even if they don’t know, by an unitemized charge to their health insurance.
Kids could get treatments for sexually transmitted diseases without parental consent.
“New York State already has an equal rights amendment on the books. Many other equal and human rights are on the books. This amendment and referendum is pure political theater,” said Garvey.
The Coalition to Protect Kids is getting a political ground game going to defeat the ERA this November. Volunteers are going door to door, canvassing registered voters to cast a “no” ballot on the referendum this November. They’re planning town halls across New York to educate families on the issue, including its first public forum in Rochester, New York on March 2nd.
They’re encouraging parents to join their effort by visiting ProtectKidsNY.com.
“Passage of this opens up a proverbial ‘Pandora’s Box” of far left social issues. Parents know what’s best for their kids, not the government,” concluded Garvey.