Prop 1 will protect abortion rights in NY

Across the country, extremist politicians are waging a war on abortion rights. Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, 21 states have banned or restricted abortion care and put tens of millions of women in harm’s way.

Long Islanders — who overwhelmingly support abortion rights — might think New Yorkers are safe from these attacks. But as we all learned when Roe was overturned, our rights are not as safe as we might hope. There are dangerous loopholes in our state constitution that leave us vulnerable to shifting political tides, and now there is a deep-pocketed disinformation campaign designed to keep it that way.

New Yorkers know better. This year, we all need to flip our ballots and safeguard abortion rights in our state constitution by voting "YES" on Proposition 1.

Opponents of abortion rights know they are outnumbered in New York. That’s why they’re waging a campaign of lies, deception, and dark money to distract and divide voters from what Prop 1 is really about: protecting abortion rights and preventing government discrimination against all New Yorkers.

A well-funded anti-Prop 1 propaganda machine recently pushed that campaign into overdrive with a multimillion-dollar ad blitz designed to make people think Prop 1 would give immigrants "special rights" and "open the door" to noncitizen voting. These are lies.

Prop 1 has nothing to do with immigration laws. What Prop 1 does, in addition to protecting abortion rights, is prohibit discrimination based on national origin and ethnicity. That means protecting people from discrimination because of where they come from, which has been part of our state law for decades — and has also been written into the state constitutions of some of the reddest states like Louisiana, Florida, and Texas. Even more, it’s protected under our federal Constitution. Those provisions have never been used to grant voting rights to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen. Prop 1 simply adds these protections to our state constitution so they can’t be easily taken away.

Opponents also claim Prop 1 doesn’t explicitly protect abortion the way recently-passed amendments in Ohio and Michigan do. The truth is Prop 1 protects abortion and more. It protects against discrimination based on all pregnancy outcomes. That undeniably includes abortion. There are only four possible pregnancy outcomes — live birth, still birth, miscarriage, and abortion. What's more, state legislators made clear that Prop 1 specifically protects abortion. That was Albany’s clearly-stated reason for holding a special session to vote on the amendment after Roe fell. Again, anti-abortion politicians are trying to distract voters from what Prop 1 is about: protecting abortion and preventing government discrimination.

Voters shouldn’t take their eye off the ball. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, many of us realized just how vulnerable our reproductive rights are. Now we must do everything we can to permanently protect them.

New York’s laws can be easily changed or watered down depending on who sits in the State Legislature or governor’s mansion. Without Prop 1, our state constitution does nothing to protect us if an anti-abortion majority takes over the legislature.

Long Islanders shouldn’t be fooled. The fall of Roe was a reminder that none of our rights are forever guaranteed. They must be fought for, fortified, and defended. This November, New Yorkers must flip their ballots and vote "YES" on Prop 1 to make sure no New York politician comes between us and our freedoms.

This guest essay reflects the views of Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.