In the last days of New York’s 2022 legislative session, lawmakers passed a package of bills aimed at protecting abortion seekers and providers. But after the Supreme Court issued decisions on abortion and concealed weapons, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, ordered the Legislature to return to Albany on Thursday for an extraordinary session.
Following a long night of negotiations, the measure passed the Senate without debate. The Assembly voted to pass it late Friday evening.
Still, no changes will happen right away.
Amending the State Constitution is a yearslong process in New York, requiring passage by two separately elected Legislatures, and then approval by voters in a referendum. By passing it this year, Democratic leaders hope that they can win approval next year and get it to voters in 2024, when a high turnout is expected in a presidential election year.
Though Ms. Hochul has no formal role in approving such an amendment, she has been a vocal champion of the measure and has included the effort in campaign ads.
Proponents had hoped to pass the amendment at the end of the 2022 session, which concluded in early June. But the effort got bogged down after several leading religious groups, including the Catholic Conference and the Jewish Community Relations Council, opposed the measure for a variety reasons.
One key issue was whether the act of enshrining new protected classes into the State Constitution would in any way downgrade existing religious protections.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/01/nyregion/abortion-ny-state-law.html
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