New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, a conservative group with Christian leadership, lobbied at the Capitol Tuesday, fighting against a bill that opponents argue would expand abortion in New York.
The bill, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not yet released, aims to codify women’s federal abortion rights. It is staunchly opposed by conservative groups and the Catholic church.
Jason McGuire, the group’s executive director, said Tuesday Cuomo is hurting the chances of nine bills dealing with women’s issues by packaging them with the controversial abortion measure. Other bills will crack down on human trafficking, pregnancy discrimination and housing discrimination, for example.
“If the governor wanted to pass any one of those nine points through this Legislature I guarantee you he can do it, even all nine of them,” McGuire said. “But he is holding all of it hostage to an abortion agenda, and that is what has to end.”
Melissa Ohden, an Iowa woman who said she survived a late-term abortion attempt, joined the group in speaking against the bill. She argued that allowing late-term abortions is never necessary for the health of the mother or the child.
Abortions to preserve the health or life of the mother during any stage of pregnancy is currently allowed under federal law. The bill would amend state law, which currently only allows for the life of the mother and is trumped by Roe v. Wade.
“We’ve lived in a society that has said that somehow abortion makes women’s lives better, that some how then we’ve reached equality,” Ohden said. “I have to say, where were those people when my life was supposed to be ended in an abortion?”
1 Comment
RHA has been deceptively placed with actual women issues…....no reason to place RHA within this group, except to deceptively try to push it through.
As a Woman, Thank YOU to This group and the many many groups and citizens that understand the dangers of RHA.
RHA does not codify Roe vs. Wade. RHA goes MUCH MUCH FURTHER on ABORTION THEN Roe vs. WADE.
Example…
ROE vs Wade ref an “undue burden” on a women’s right to procedure…..RHA says any limitation (such as parental consent) will be difficult difficult or impossible to legalize because abortion is now deemed a “fundamental right” ....A MUCH HIGHER STANDARD THAN THE SUPREME COURT REQUIRES. (This is just 1 of many examples were RHA goes much further then Roe vs. Wade.)
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RHA on it’s own or deceptively placed within a “Women’s Equality Bill” IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AT ALL.
Abortion Expansion, in a state that remains the abortion capital of the nation with a rate Twice as high as the national average, is certainly NOT WHAT NY state, especially NYC GIRLS, Young Women need.
Bold and shocking any lawmaker would even think to propose RHA.
Abortion Rate means the % of pregnancies that end in abortion. Some zip codes in NYC are higher then 53%. The Age break down is even more horrific.
Basically the age affected are the GIRLS and VERY YOUNG Women of NY State.