Consecrating the right to abortion to the constitution of the state will be more onerous. The reform of the State Constitution is a process of years, which begins with the approval by the Legislature. Then, after a general election, another session of the Legislature must approve the amendment before presenting it to voters in an electoral referendum.
Key results in the 2022 primary election in New York
On June 28, New York held several primaries for statewide positions, including governor and lieutenant governor. Some districts of the State Assembly also had primaries.
But lawmakers took a first step on Friday when the legislature passed the amendment on equal rights, which along with guaranteeing the rights to abortion and access to contraception, banned the government from discriminating against anyone. based on a list of qualifications such as race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, or sex, specifically indicating sexual orientation, identity, and gender expression, and pregnancy in the list of protected conditions .
Some of the protected classes in the language of the measure seemed to anticipate future court rulings, which also indicated last week that it could overturn cases establishing the right to same-sex marriage, consensual relationships between people of the same sex and contraception.
“We’re playing in the legislative Whac-a-Mole with the Supreme Court,” said Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat. “Whenever a bad idea comes to mind, we will counter it with statewide legislation.”
“Civil liberties are hanging in the balance,” he added.
New York Republicans, who have little influence in any of the legislative chambers, split over the amendment for equal rights, with seven votes in favor and 13 against. But they united in opposition to the hidden transportation bill, saying Democrats had tipped the scales too much in favor of the restrictions.
“Instead of addressing the root of the problem and holding violent criminals accountable, Albany’s politicians are preventing law-abiding New Yorkers, who have undergone classes of permits, background checks and a licensing process, exercise their constitutional right to bear and bear arms, ”he said. Robert Ortt, the Republican leader in the Senate, who is from western New York.