Defeat New York State's Proposition 1: An attempt to undermine the rights of the parents concerning the health and welfare of their children

New York State's Proposition 1 on the ballot: An attempt to undermine the rights of the parents concerning the health and welfare of their children

Proposition 1, which appears on the November 5 election ballot, is the result of the adoption of a constitutional amendment by the New York State legislature called the 'Equal Rights Amendment. If adopted, it will have severe consequences with far-reaching effects affecting the parents' rights concerning their children's health and welfare. The New York Governor Hochul cynically used the abortion issue to sneak all sorts of other stuff into the amendment -which doesn't even mention abortion.

The New York State Constitution protects against unequal treatment based on race, color, creed, and religion. Proposition 1 seeks to expand the state's Equal Rights Amendment by adding ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health care, and autonomy.

The ambiguous language of ERA will facilitate litigation by activist groups seeking to create new rights inconsistent with the views of most parents and families in New York. Among those rights are Gender identity and Gender expression covering 'all persons,' which include minor children. The ERA would create a constitutional right to medical transgender procedures without parental consent and override any existing statutes requiring parental consent for medical interventions for minors. Schools will be banned from disclosing becoming transgender to the parents. Passage of this amendment would also mean that biological males could assert constitutional 'rights' to participate in female sports teams and gain access to restrooms and locker rooms designated for girls.

Those against it are worried that a broad anti-discrimination clause will open the door for new legal battles and set new precedents. Prop One also "allows laws to prevent or undo past discrimination."

Rev. Wilson Jose, Pastor from Grace International Church in Mineola, also expressed his concern about how it would impact religious freedom and worried about the possible scenarios of censorship imposed upon the faith community. "The governor and the lawmakers need to level with the people of New York instead of hiding behind the slogan of equal rights promoting Prop 1 to the detriment of our future generations," he added. Rev. Wilson Jose strongly urged the voters to reject Prop 1 on November 5.