As it is for many, the fight for equal rights is personal to me. Prior to running for office, I served for thirteen years as the Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, a national organization dedicated to amplifying Latina/e voices in the fight for health, dignity, and reproductive justice.
In my work, I heard story after story about the trauma of an unjust political landscape in which Latinas in states like Florida and Texas were denied basic access to healthcare. I heard stories of sisters splitting birth control pills because they were uninsured and could not afford the cost. I heard stories of people traveling to Mexico to acquire pills to self-manage their own abortion. And I consoled our activists when we lost a beloved leader to cancer because she was denied basic life-saving healthcare. And if we do not show up and vote Yes on Prop 1 in this upcoming election, New Yorkers, too, risk losing freedoms that we have long cherished. These are protections critical to communities like mine, which are largely made up of Latina/e, Asian, and Arab American communities.
All New Yorkers deserve the freedom to control their own bodies, lives, and futures without government interference; this includes our right to abortion and other reproductive healthcare. No New Yorker should be discriminated against due to their personal healthcare decisions or who they are. This includes the freedom to love another person, regardless of gender, without fear of unequal treatment and outright oppression.
That’s why, this November, we need to pass Prop 1: to make sure our fundamental human rights and reproductive healthcare, including abortion, are permanently protected here in New York. While New York state law currently protects abortion and other reproductive rights, laws can be changed or repealed depending on who is in the State Legislature or Governor’s Mansion.
Prop 1 will cement our reproductive rights—including access to abortion, birth control, and IVF—in the state constitution so that they can’t be rolled back by anti-abortion politicians in the future. We cannot leave our basic freedoms to the whims of the political pendulum.
Many of us took for granted that our reproductive freedom would always be protected. When Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, many of us were shocked and devastated. For women of color and other vulnerable communities, we had long known our rights were fragile. The court decision invited a slew of anti-choice legislation across the country, such as a six-week abortion ban in Florida. Most people do not even realize they are pregnant at six weeks. I know I didn’t.
Since the overturning of Roe, we’ve seen unprecedented attacks on reproductive health services like abortion, contraception, and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Half of the states in the country now ban or severely strict abortion. Hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced across the United States, and many have passed their state legislatures. The overturning of Roe and the attacks we’ve seen on people’s freedoms have demonstrated that extremists are determined to roll back our fundamental rights and institute policies that oppress marginalized people. The Supreme Court did not protect us, and the fight to codify our rights into law is more pressing than ever.
The fight for reproductive justice is not just about abortion—it is also about bodily autonomy more broadly. It is about human rights. It is about the right to consult our doctors, our families, and our faith to choose the best options for our health, family and future. It is about our freedom to love and build a family.
By including pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy, Prop 1 provides first-of-its-kind constitutional protections for reproductive rights, including abortion. Prop 1 will also protect against government discrimination based on a person’s gender, age, disability status, ethnicity, pregnancy status, and whether they’re LGBTQ.
New Yorkers may feel insulated from national trends aimed at undermining our rights. The reality is we’re not. Passing Prop 1 will give us the essential, permanent safeguards we need.
Advocates and community members in Queens work tirelessly to create safe spaces for people of all kinds to thrive. But in recent years, we’ve seen an increasing number of New Yorkers experiencing hate crimes simply for who they are or who they love. Locally, programs such as Drag Story Hour, where families gather to have fun and embrace Queens’ diversity, have been attacked.
Respect, safety, and freedom are at the root of this fight. Every person in New York State deserves equal protection under the constitution.
Prop 1 will put the power in the hands of New Yorkers to guarantee what we want most: our fundamental freedoms, including abortion and other reproductive healthcare. Join me this fall in the fight for equity, dignity, and justice: vote yes on Prop 1.
*Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas represents parts of Astoria, Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside in Queens, and is the former Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.
