In November 2024, the voters of New York State will be asked whether they approve adding an “Equal Rights Amendment” to our state constitution. It will appear on ballots as “Proposition One”. The stated goal of this amendment is to ban unjust discrimination against persons based on a broad variety of classes and characteristics.
Despite this measure’s good intentions, it creates significant dangers to human life, families, and religious freedom. In a recent statement, the Bishops of New York State called this proposition “a wolf in sheep’s clothing that could lead to darkness for many New York families”. While we strongly agree with the goal of protecting all human beings from unjust discrimination, we urge people to vote against this risky amendment.
What Does the Equal Rights Amendment Say?
The Equal Rights Amendment (Proposition One on November’s ballot) would add new language to the New York State Constitution (Article 1, Section 11). The new language is in italics:
a. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof. No person shall, because of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, creed , religion, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy, be subjected to any discrimination in their civil rights by any other person or by any firm, corporation, or institution, or by the state or any agency or subdivision of the state, pursuant to law.
b. Nothing in this section shall invalidate or prevent the adoption of any law, regulation, program, or practice that is designed to prevent or dismantle discrimination on the basis of a characteristic listed in this section, nor shall any characteristic listed in this section be interpreted to interfere with, limit, or deny the civil rights of any person based upon any other characteristic identified in this section.
What Would the Equal Rights Amendment Do?
The dangerous effects of this amendment include:
- It would enshrine abortion on demand up until the moment of birth into our constitution. This would prevent reasonable and common-sense limitations on abortion, such as bans on late-term abortions and sex-selection abortions.
- It would undermine the ability of parents to make important decisions about their children’s health care. Children could be allowed to make life-altering decisions – such as “gender reassignment” surgery – without parental consent or knowledge.
- It would undermine legal protections based on a person’s age. Restrictions on the sexual activity of minors could be overturned, and bans on assisted suicide could be overturned.
- It would endanger the religious liberty of individuals and institutions that do not want to cooperate with practices, like abortion and “gender reassignment”, that violate their religious beliefs.
Resources for You to Use
Here are some valuable resources for you to use to spread the word about this dangerous amendment:
Statement by the Bishops of New York State urging opposition to the ERA. It is also available in Spanish.
A flyer created by the Archdiocese for pastors to use to explain the amendment to their congregation. The flyer is also available in Spanish.
A memo for pastors from the New York State Catholic Conference outlining the reasons for our opposition and some legal considerations for advocacy efforts.
The Coalition to Protect Kids website. This is a coalition of many organizations across the state that have come together to oppose the ERA, particularly because of the dangers it presents to parents and children. There is more information about the amendment and resources that can be used to spread the word about it. They have also written a letter to pastors about how they can collaborate with the Coalition’s advocacy efforts.
Materials prepared by the Coalition to Protect Kids for Catholic parishes to use.
An article from the Human Life Review explaining the dangers of the ERA: “New York’s Equal Rights Amendment: A Revolutionary Camel”.
More information and resources to come!