The Religious Action Center – New York (RAC-NY) is advocating for the passage of the NY Equal Rights Amendment. Read more about the ERA with information from RAC-NY, and attend Pride Shabbat at CRS on Friday, June 21 to learn more.
What is the NY ERA?
- The New York State Equal Rights Amendment is an amendment to New York’s State Constitution that adds explicit protections for people who experience discrimination, even going beyond the protections of the federal constitution.
- Adding to existing protections against discrimination based on race and religion, this amendment would prohibit discrimination based on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex- including their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, reproductive healthcare, and autonomy.
How do we add the ERA to the State Constitution?
- New York State Constitutional amendments must pass in two consecutive legislative terms and then approved by voters in a ballot referendum. The ERA was voted on by the New York Legislature on July 1, 2022, in a special session, following the Dobbs v. JWHO decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, and again on January 24, 2023, to mark the 50th anniversary of that landmark decision. New Yorkers will have the opportunity to vote on the Amendment in November 2024. If voters approve it, the ERA will be added to New York’s State constitution.
Why is the NY ERA important?
- This Amendment will ensure that New York’s founding document contains the strongest legal protections for people who experience discrimination. This is especially important in a time when we are seeing state governments and courts walk back our rights
- Embedding these protections within the New York State constitution insulates New Yorkers from the political winds that seek to ban, eliminate, or reduce access to abortion care through changes to the state law.
- The ERA will provide discrimination protections for many marginalized groups, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. For example, lawmakers would be prohibited from excluding gay people in public school curriculum or restricting healthcare access to trans individuals.
- No New Yorker should be targeted by the government because of who they are or who they love. The NY ERA will guarantee people what we want most: our fundamental rights, without political interference.
- This November, New Yorkers have the opportunity to vote for the NY Equal Rights Amendment to protect our rights and freedoms, including protections for LGBTQ+ communities and abortion rights.
- The ERA explicitly links sex discrimination and reproductive rights to LGBTQ+ rights and others, showing how an attack on the any one of these freedoms is an attack on all of them.
Why is the NY ERA important to us as Jews?
- Jewish tradition instills in us the importance of kavod ha’briyot, respect for individual dignity. Enshrining reproductive freedoms in the New York State constitution will help ensure that all New Yorkers are able to make the reproductive health decisions that are right for them.
- As Jews, we believe that all humans are created b’tzelem Elohim – in the Divine image – and deserve dignity and respect regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity. As it says in Genesis, “And God created humans in God’s own image, in the image of God, God created them…” (Genesis 1:27). The expansive discrimination protections the ERA offers are reflective of this important Jewish value.
What can we do?
- The question to vote on the New York State ERA will be located on the back of the ballot in November. Voters should turn their ballot over and vote yes!
How can RAC-NY support this as a 501(c)3?
- As a 501(c)3, RAC-NY can participate in advocacy (lobbying), which includes organizing around ballot initiatives where Jewish values are implicated. Since RAC-NY has a long history of working on discrimination protections, this is considered an acceptable form of lobbying.
