Reporting by Regina Martinez

Melinda Persons’ 4-year-old daughter, Lindy, came home from preschool with an assignment: “The Story of My Name.” Person told her daughter she’s named ‘Lindy’ because that was Persons’ nickname as a child. However, her mother, Lindy’s grandmother, corrected her.

The child’s name, and Persons’ nickname, originated from her grandmother’s friend, Lindy, who in the 1960s gave her $250 to get a bus ticket to Canada, where she was able to get an abortion.

“Women shouldn’t have to share their traumas but my mom feels, now, that she has to talk about it,” said Person.

Person, the President of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), shared her story at a rally for Proposition 1 that took place on Sunday, November 3rd, in lower Manhattan.

Proposition 1, which appears on this year’s New York State ballot, is an “Equal Rights Amendment” to the New York State Constitution prohibiting discrimination based on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned in June of 2022, decision-making power on abortion rights shifted to state legislatures. In many states, abortion care was made illegal or restricted earlier than the standard set by Roe v. Wade. Like Persons’ mother, some women in these states are traveling to places like New York, where abortion has been legal since 1970.

As reproductive health care faces increased scrutiny, New York Democrats are fighting to preserve and strengthen these rights by enshrining them in the New York State Constitution.

Three female elected officials, Governor Kathy Hochul, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and New York State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, took the stage at Sunday’s rally, thanking the audience and each other for their canvassing of Proposition 1.

“We’ll set this nation on the right path. Vote ‘yes’ on Proposition 1,” said Hochul.

But like many proposals in 2024, Proposition 1 lacks bipartisan support.

John Faso, former Republican representative of New York’s 19th congressional district and current federal lobbyist, is challenging Democratic initiatives like Proposition 1.

Faso claims that the proposal is “based on the lie that abortion rights are somehow in jeopardy,” he wrote in an Albany Times Union’s op-ed. Additionally, he argues that the amendments’ position on gender identity may clash with current laws granting parents authority over health care decisions for their minor children.

“This deals with much more than just abortion,” said Faso in an interview.

The New York Republican State Committee addresses many other grievances against Proposal 1, arguing that it would allow “boys in girls’ sports,” grant “taxpayer benefits for migrants,” and “reverse discrimination,” allowing the state “to utilize racial and ethnic quotas in hiring, education admissions, and a range of other areas.”

During the Sunday rally, Attorney General Letitia James took the podium and urged the audience to inform their peers of advertisements being circulated by the right.

“The opposition is pouring money into blocking Prop 1e. They are pouring millions of dollars into convincing New Yorkers that Prop 1 is about immigration,” said James.

“‘We’re gonna give illegal immigrants constitutional rights.’ Scare campaign. 100% false,” said U.S. Representative of New York’s 12th congressional district Jerrold Nadler during the rally.

According to the New York City Bar, Proposition 1 won’t impact parental rights, change the current law on sports team participation, impact qualifications for voting, or current federal and state law on undocumented immigrants.

The association says that New York State law outlines parental concerns in Section 2504 of Public Health law. Nondiscrimination in sports is outlined in Title IX and New York State Human Rights Law. Nondiscrimination by national origin is protected on a federal and state level — like various other states including Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Texas, and Virginia.

“Proposition 1 is existing New York State Law. Putting it in the constitution just protects it from being changed at the whim of a particular leader,” said Person.

The Vote on Prop 1 Rally, hosted at the United Federation of Teachers headquarters, welcomed several other speakers including Senate Majority Leader\ Andrea-Stewart Cousins, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA)\ Alexis McGill Johnson, and American Actor\ Busy Philips.

If you’re registered in New York State, you can vote for or against Proposition 1 up until Election Day, tomorrow, November 5th.