Momentum is growing against a seemingly innocuous proposition on the November ballot that promises to give equal rights to all but, upon further review, will allow for a host of consequences many find undesirable.
Crafted by the Progressive Democrats who control the state legislature, Proposition 1 would amend the state Constitution to give men the right to play in women’s sports, allow boys to use girls' bathrooms, give illegal aliens the same rights as citizens, and permit abortions right up to the moment of birth.
One political figure who thinks this is abhorrent is former Congressman Lee Zeldin, the Republican-Conservative who came with a few points of knocking off Gov. Kathy Hochul in the 2022 election. “There has never been a greater attack on girls sports and women's rights in New York than the push by Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats to amend the state constitution through Proposal 1 on this year's ballot,” Zeldin posted. “Vote NO on Prop 1!”
He’s among the many opponents who are lighting up the Internet urging the defeat of what’s been billed as a reproductive rights initiative designed by the Democrats to help drive women to the polls to defeat Donald Trump and his GOP ticket. In 2022, the Liberal Left capitalized on the leaking of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and give the individual states the power to regulate abortion. Proposition 1 notwithstanding, New York has among the most liberal abortion laws in the country.
Gov. Hochul doubled down on her support of the measure, committing $1 million to push for its passage. “New Yorkers deserve the freedom to control their own lives and healthcare decisions, including the right to abortion regardless of who’s in office, and this important investment will get that message out across the state,” the governor said.
“In short, Prop One and its added suspect classes threaten to throw New York civil rights law into chaos,” concluded the Empire Center, a non-partisan think tank based in Albany. “If everyone is in a suspect class, then everyone has a right to have laws that discriminate against them drawn in the least restrictive narrowly tailored way to serve a compelling government purpose.”
State Senator Mario Mattera called the proposition a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” noting that it would restrict the rights of parents in making decisions for their children. “It would be a disaster for the state,” he said.
In a joint statement, Republicans in the state Assembly noted that the change in the Constitution would give illegal aliens the right to vote and allow them to free access the government services provided to citizens. “Prop 1 is designed to appear progressive and helpful. But at its core, the measure is just a list of hot-button topics already covered under the law, masking a thinly veiled attempt to undermine families, parents, and communities. It has no place in New York,” they said.
Another measure on the back of this year’s ballot is Proposition 2, a measure allowing Suffolk County to increase its sales tax by ⅛ of a cent to fund sewers and private sanitary systems. Seen as a critical effort to protect Long Island’s water resources, the proposal will allow the county to merge all of its sewer districts together and charge users a uniform fee regardless of what area they’re in.