To the Editor:

This year, New Yorkers have the opportunity to vote on an important and historic ballot proposition that will protect all of us from government discrimination.

New York’s Equal Rights Amendment will appear on the back of your ballot as Proposition 1. Right now, only four categories are protected from discrimination in our state constitution: race, color, creed, and religion.

Prop 1 will add additional categories, including gender, age, disability, gender identity, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcome, so that those categories will enjoy constitutional protection against discrimination.

Prop 1 will also prohibit the state of New York from passing an abortion ban. While New Yorkers currently enjoy the rights and freedoms set forth in the Reproductive Health Act, a future governor or legislature might attempt to revoke these rights. Prop 1 will ensure that our reproductive autonomy is protected.

Contrary to the fears being stoked by extremists who oppose the amendment, Prop 1 will not create any additional rights. It will not override “parental rights.” There is nothing in it that could reasonably be read as curtailing parental rights.

The rhetoric about “protecting girls’ sports” is also unfounded and misleading. Rather, these baseless accusations are being made by interests who oppose reproductive rights; because most people support reproductive autonomy and access to reproductive health care, Prop 1’s opponents are attacking it based on other issues that are not actually contained in the language of the proposed amendment.

In other words, they are engaging in fear-mongering and conjuring up opponents who do not exist in this context.

More information is available at www.nyequalrights.org. I urge you to read the language of Prop 1 and then flip your ballot over and vote yes in order to protect New Yorkers from discrimination and to safeguard our freedoms.

Jill Loew

Guilderland