New York Moves to Add Reproductive Rights, Equality to State's Constitution
New York lawmakers on Friday took the first step toward codifying reproductive rights into the state’s constitution in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion ruling.
The legislature passed a measure to expand the list of classes protected by the state’s constitution. The broad equal rights language expands those classes to include women making decisions about pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care.
State lawmakers passed legislation in 2019 to enshrine Roe’s protections and guarantee access to an abortion. But Democrats backing the amendment said adding the protections to the Constitution would provide additional safeguards.
