National Coalition to End Child Marriage
End Gender-Violence Zonta Says NO!New Yorkers will have the Equal Rights Amendment on their State Ballot in November 2024
In Jan 2023, the New York Legislature passed constitutional amendment in second consecutive legislative session
ALBANY, NY – Today, the New York legislature passed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in its second consecutive session, officially bringing the amendment to New Yorkers for ratification on the 2024 November ballot.
The ERA (S.108-A Kreuger/A.1283 Seawright) would prohibit discrimination by the government based on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex — including their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. It would also protect against any government actions that would curtail a person’s reproductive autonomy or their access to reproductive health care. The ERA would, for the first time, explicitly include language to clarify that discrimination based on a person’s pregnancy or pregnancy outcome is sex discrimination – an essential clarification given the national trend of criminalizing people for various pregnancy outcomes, as well as the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Zonta USA Caucus and the Zonta District Governors in NY STATE support the NYS Equal Rights Amendment
New York State Constitution is wholly inadequate when it comes to ensuring equality. We need a constitution with broad protections for every New Yorker. The current New York State Constitution fails to prohibit discrimination against groups who have been historically targeted, including those with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, immigrants, women, and pregnant people.
In keeping with Zonta’s focus on Building a Better World for Women and Girls through Service and Advocacy, and in support of Constitutional Equality both at the State and National level, we encourage all Zonta Members, Clubs and Allies in NY State to get involved in building awareness and support for the measure on the 2024 Ballot.
