Summary
New York’s Proposition 1, an amendment to enshrine abortion rights and expand anti-discrimination protections in the state constitution, passed with strong support.
Known as the Equal Rights Amendment, it protects categories such as pregnancy outcomes, sexual orientation, and gender identity, alongside existing protections.
Governor Kathy Hochul and Democratic leaders backed the measure as a defense against future restrictions, while Republicans opposed it, arguing it would impact girls’ sports and benefit undocumented immigrants—claims refuted by legal experts.
The amendment’s success is seen as a rejection of conservative efforts to restrict abortion and transgender rights, celebrated by groups like the NAACP and the NYCLU.
In that case it could still end up in a situation similar to weed, where it is legal according to states but not to the federal government. Especially for those states that legalized abortion access via constitutional amendment rather than a simple law.