I’ve already written a great deal about the Reproductive Health Act (see here, here and here), which has been proposed by the Governor as part of his “Women’s Equality Act”.
One thing that has unfortunately been lost in the debate over this abortion expansion bill is that many of the other parts of the Governor’s agenda are things that most New Yorkers — including the Church — would like to support. Things like ensuring equal pay for equal work; expanding the ability to enforce laws against sexual harassment; strengthening laws against discrimination in employment and lending (particularly against pregnant women); strengthening and enforcing current laws against sex trafficking.
But by including the Reproductive Health Act in in the bill, the passage of other good women’s initiatives is being unnecessarily jeopardized. We would like to see abortion taken off the table, so that the welfare of women can be addressed and promoted in a way that generates real consensus across the state.
The Church, and other pro-life people who work at places like pregnancy services centers, have a great deal of experience working with vulnerable women, especially those who are struggling with a crisis pregnancy. Based on this experience, we could propose some other items to include in a real women’s agenda. These proposals would not endanger the lives of unborn women and leave their mothers with the emotional scars of abortion. Instead, they would enhance the welfare of the women of our state, particularly by giving encouragement and support to make the life-affirming decision to carry their babies to birth:
The Governor has some good ideas for woman that shouldn’t be held back by an abortion bill that goes too far and is out of step with what New Yorkers want. Taking the Reproductive Health Act off the table would allow people of all beliefs to unite behind a real agenda for women.