Abortion rights in New York State are protected but not guaranteed. New York voters can fix that by flipping their ballots and voting for Proposition 1.
An abortion rights activist holds a sign outside the entrance of a Planned Parenthood clinic in New York City in February 2024.
(Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
I’m a proud New Yorker, mom of two girls, and president of Planned Parenthood. I have spent this election cycle traveling the country to mobilize voters in support of reproductive rights advocates and critical measures that will protect reproductive freedom.
Every time I enter a new state, I have a different set of rights.
Since Roe v. Wade was repealed — the right to control one’s own body was left to the states — 21 states imposed severe restrictions or outright bans on abortion. Forty-three percent of women of reproductive age in America live in one of these states. Thanks to brave individuals who shared their stories of the worst experiences of their lives, and thanks to persistent investigative reporting, we now know the many ways in which the lives of women, trans, and non-binary people have been upended, jeopardized, and even lost because of the abortion ban . made pregnancy more dangerous.
While Americans have long prided ourselves on our inalienable rights and freedoms, how can we call ourselves a free nation when so many are unfree?
Over the past two years, state constitutional amendments have become critical tools for restoring, protecting, and expanding access to abortion. Those ballot amendments allowed voters from Kansas to Ohio to California to Vermont to guarantee abortion rights—in some cases to repeal or prevent bans imposed by state legislatures, in others to expand access. This election, 10 states will be voting on such amendments, including right here in New York.
Current issue
New York has a well-deserved reputation as a safe haven for abortion, but it wasn’t until 2019 that the New York Legislature passed the Reproductive Health Act. Its passage was made possible only by the 2018 election, which put abortion rights advocates in control of the state legislature for the first time in nearly a decade. Previous attempts to pass similar legislation have been repeatedly blocked. Meanwhile, in 2022, a staunchly anti-abortion candidate who has said he would appoint a state anti-abortion commissioner came within six points of the governorship — the largest swing to the right of any state in the country in the last cycle.
Although our rights in New York are currently protected, they are not guaranteed. Yes, in New York.
Fortunately, this election cycle, New Yorkers have the opportunity to enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion, in our state Constitution with Proposition 1. Proposition 1 prohibits discrimination based on sex and defines “sex” to include pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive functions. health care and autonomy. 1 in the Constitution, New York can enact laws, policies, or regulations that prohibit or create barriers to abortion, birth control, IVF, or other forms of reproductive health care.
Proposition 1 would protect clinics that provide essential services, including in rural areas where access is already limited. And it would prevent the criminalization of those who have had miscarriages or stillbirths, ensuring that patients get the care they need, rather than the prosecutions we’ve seen in other states.
This amendment also closes loopholes in the state Constitution to ensure that no New Yorker is discriminated against by the government based on gender, age, disability, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Finally, because Proposition 1 amends the state Constitution, this measure means our rights can never be revoked by elected officials.
What’s interesting about this amendment is that it also gives New Yorkers the opportunity to join the chorus of other states in laying the groundwork for restoring strong national rights to the rest of the nation.
We must fight for freedom and justice for ourselves, for all patients, for all New Yorkers, and for everyone in this country. Don’t forget to turn in your ballot by November 5th and vote for Clause 1 and for freedom—our rights and our children’s future depend on it.
Can we count on you?
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