Proposal One
(a.k.a. the Equal Rights Amendment “ERA”)
Has Been Removed From the Ballot!
Our attorney WON the ERA lawsuit!!! Kudos to Bobbie Anne Cox of Cox Lawyers, PLLC, and her colleague, Chris Browne, for their huge victory in Byrnes v. The State of New York, which successfully removed the ERA (aka Proposal One) off the November 5, 2024 ballot. Their lawsuit legally challenged the Democrat-controlled NYS Legislature for the unconstitutional way in which they passed the ERA and planned to place it on the ballot in November. While many New Yorkers were busy with everyday life, these two attorneys defended the Constitution and our civil rights. We are very grateful for them!
WHAT IS THE ERA? ERA stands for Equal Rights Amendment. It is important to oppose the ERA because we already have equal rights protections in our Constitution as well as several laws that protect equal rights, and the problem with the new language being proposed in the ERA is that Democrats added wording that contains several dangerous attacks on our rights as a New Yorkers. The new wording threatens our parental rights, free speech, girls/women’s sports, organizations, and spaces, as well as our national sovereignty by extending constitutional rights to non-citizens, including illegal aliens, and more. It was truly a Trojan Horse!
Here is the actual ERA language they are proposing:
Proposing that section 11 of article 1 of the Constitution be amended to read as follows: §11. a. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof. No person shall, because of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, creed [or] religion, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy, be subjected to any discrimination in [his or her] their civil rights by any other person or by any firm, corporation, or institution, or by the state or any agency or subdivision of the state, pursuant to law. b. Nothing in this section shall invalidate or prevent the adoption of any law, regulation, program, or practice that is designed to prevent or dismantle discrimination on the basis of a characteristic listed in this section, nor shall any characteristic listed in this section be interpreted to interfere with, limit, or deny the civil rights of any person based upon any other characteristic identified in this section.
§2. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That the foregoing amendment be submitted to the people for approval at the general election to be held in the year 2024 in accordance with the provisions of the election law.
Green is new; Red in brackets is old law to be omitted.
PROPOSAL ONE would amend Section 11 of Article 1 of the New York State Constitution to prohibit discrimination against someone based on their ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health, and autonomy.
THE NEGATIVE INTENTIONAL CONSEQUENCES:
If passed, Proposal One could:
- Prohibit educational institutions from barring males from participating in female sports.
- Allow males to use female locker rooms, restrooms, dormitories, and other related facilities.
- Allow for the abolition of single-sex high schools, colleges, social clubs such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, sororities, fraternities, and so on.
- Grant minors the right to make their own life-altering decisions, including medical treatments and procedures. This could encompass anything from drugs to vaccines to gender transition treatments and/or surgeries, without parental knowledge or consent.
- Ban schools from disclosing to parents when their child is considering or actually transitioning their gender.
- Extend constitutional protections to illegal aliens and non-citizens, which could include the right to vote in our elections.
- Reverse laws meant to protect our young and our elderly. For example, statutory rape laws, and the like.
THE PROPAGANDA:
Kathy Hochul and the Democrats are attempting to define the ERA/Proposal One as being all about abortion, but that is a lie and easily refuted by simply reading the text of the proposed amendment. The Democrats main message on the ERA is to protect abortion rights in New York. They have a $20 million budget to promote the Equal Rights Amendment.
The Left is not happy about our lawsuit victory. They want the ERA back on the ballot, so they are vowing to appeal this win…
Our Attorney General, Letitia James, a Democrat who promotes the far Left’s radical position, said: “The Equal Rights Amendment was advanced to protect New Yorkers’ fundamental rights, including reproductive freedom and access to abortion care. This is a disappointing court decision, but we will appeal because New Yorkers deserve to be protected by their Constitution, especially as our basic freedoms and rights are under attack.”
Andrew Taverrite of New Yorkers for Equal Rights, a coalition that supports the ERA, stated this about the lawsuit decision: “This ruling is nothing but a baseless attack by the anti-abortion minority, and we are confident it will be overturned on appeal.”
THE TRUTH:
The truth is New York law already allows abortion until the end of the ninth month. Why are the Democrats so focused on abortion rights when we have laws that protect them already? That is because they don’t want people to know what else the ERA will do. They are hoping most people are not smart enough to read the ERA and discern what could happen.
Former Congressman and 2022 Gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin and others are speaking out against the ERA/Proposal One.
His press conference gives an excellent explanation about why this is about more than abortion rights. Watch it HERE.
WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HOW THE ERA WAS PASSED? On July 1, 2022, during a special session, the NYS Legislature first passed the ERA. At that time, the legislature did not go through the correct process of adopting an amendment. They skipped steps by not following the “rule of law” and passed the amendment illegally. For a more detailed explanation on how the Legislature did not follow the constitution, read HERE.
WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE: Supreme Court Justice Daniel J. Doyle published his decision on May 7, 2024 in Byrnes v. The State of New York. His ruling states that the Legislature violated the process of adopting an amendment, and the proposed amendment shall be removed from the ballot in the November 5, 2024 election. Read the decision HERE.
Senator Borrello, one of our co-plaintiffs in our quarantine camp lawsuit, is correct when he made this statement about the court’s decision: “The Democrats that control state government think the rules don’t apply to them, which is why we repeatedly see them cut legal and ethical corners in order to achieve their political aims,”
In the meantime, we are so grateful for this monumental win! Since the Democrats plan to appeal this ruling, we must remain vigilant! Educating New York voters about the dangers of the proposed ERA must continue. It is also extremely important that we elect Legislators, judges, Congressmen and a President on November 5, 2024 who will uphold the “rule of law” and protect the rights of New Yorkers. Send us an email if you want to get involved in the fight to save our state! Contact@Unitingnys.com
