New York GOP redi­rects ERA argu­ment away from abor­tion — and toward teenage drink­ing

With the Equal Rights Amend­ment on the bal­lot this Novem­ber, New York Democ­rats are hope­ful that more vot­ers will turn out to vote in favor of pro­tect­ing abor­tion rights, but state Repub­li­cans are high­light­ing pos­si­ble ram­i­fi­ca­tions of the amend­ment, such as the removal of a drink­ing age.
The ERA includes a dozen poten­tial new pro­tect­ed class­es such as age, gen­der expres­sion, preg­nan­cy, preg­nan­cy out­comes, and repro­duc­tive health­care and auton­o­my. Groups oppos­ing the amend­ment, such as Pro­tect Kids NY, argue that the mea­sure will open up Pandora’s box by weak­en­ing laws meant to pro­tect against elder­ly abuse, statu­to­ry rape, and minors choos­ing to receive gen­der-affirm­ing care.

Abor­tion-rights activists hold signs dur­ing a protest fol­low­ing the Supreme Court’s deci­sion to over­turn Roe v. Wade at Union Square on June 25, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwa­mu­ra)

“Let’s take a moment and ask our­selves some ques­tions about what …