Bishops say Equal Rights Amendment may be destructive

The bishops of New York call it a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” New York state’s Equal Rights Amendment, which promises equality regardless of race, gender or pregnancy status, could actually have dangerous consequences for children.

If passed, the bill would alter the New York State Constitution Article 1, Section 11, to read, “No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof. No person shall, because of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability creed, or religion, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy, be subjected to any discrimination in their civil rights by any other person or by any firm, corporation, or institution, or by the state or any agency or subdivision of the state pursuant to law.”

In their statement, the bishops worried that the amendment’s sweeping language and inclusion of “age” as a protected class could also lead to the removal of parents’ rights.

“Courts could decide that parents have no authority over their minor children on important matters and permit children to make destructive and permanent decisions on their own which they could well live to regret, including but not limited to so-called ‘gender affirming’ treatments and surgeries,” the bishops wrote. “The relationship between parents and their children is sacred. Parents must be able to support and guide their children in accord with the natural law, without interference from the government or courts, which would be reaching beyond their competency.”

The statement goes to say the ERA “disregards the lives of unborn and struggling children in the name of political agendas. It could have dangerous consequences for these children and their parents.”

While encouraging faithful Catholics to vote their informed conscience, they ask that they vote “No” on this proposition.  

At the Sept. 7 diocesan Respect Life inservice, Dolly Verdi spoke about the amendment, also known as Prop 1, which comes up for vote on Nov. 5.

Verdi, a member of the Coalition to Protect Kids New York, a ballot issue committee registered with the New York State Board of Elections, is working with the bishops of New York.

“It’s kind of a bait and switch. When you’re looking at that, you’re not looking at all the other things in this amendment,” Verdi said. “It may take rights away from parents. Already in the public school system, if a child is having confusion about their gender, the Board of Education, the New York Department of Education has a rule, not a law, not a mandate, a rule that will take care of that in school. ‘We better not tell the parents because we don’t know what they will do to that child. It’s safer if we handle it,’” Verdi said in character as a school leader.

Verdi pointed to a case in Central New York. The Alliance Defending Freedom is suing the Skaneateles Central School District for helping her 12-year-old daughter transition to a boy,while ignoring her concerns for her daughter’s new found anxiety.

Verdi said the writing of the amendment is so vague it’s a “blank check.”

“A lot of people will be deceived into thinking equal sounds good. It’s filled with deception,” she said.

Pastors throughout New York state have received information to be distributed in their parish. Buttons and lawn signs can be ordered through www.protectkidsny.com.

Verdi encouraged people to attend upcoming town hall meetings with guest speaker Dennis Hannon, who lost his parental rights after trying to stop his ex-wife from transitioning their son  into a girl. The town halls will be held  Sept. 16, at Blessed Sacrament Parish,  Tonawanda; Sept. 18, at Christ the King Parish, Snyder; and Sept. 24 at VFW Oakwood Manor, Hamburg.

Cheryl Zielen-Ersing, director of Respect Life Ministries for the Diocese of Buffalo, thanked the parish coordinators for attending the inservice. 

“Our nation absolutely needs who we are as a people of faith,” she said. “Especially a society that seemingly increasingly embraces policies and procedures that are eroding the foundations that were established to protect and nurture life and humanity.”