New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just signed into law several bills strengthening protections for women in the workplace as well as victims of sex trafficking, sexual harassment, and domestic violence in an effort to further women’s equality in the state.
New York Women’s Equality Act Stalled For A Second Time
Although the State Senate passed nine planks of the WEA as separate bills, the full act ultimately did not move forward because Senate Republicans opposed a provision that would codify Roe v. Wade.
New York Senate Passes Three Planks of Women’s Equality Act, Defying Advocates for the Comprehensive Package
Advocates who remain committed to passing the omnibus bill insist that the issues represented in the planks intersect and therefore must be passed together rather than individually, especially because the latter strategy puts the abortion plank at risk of being ultimately forgone.
New York State Assembly Passes Omnibus Women’s Equality Act
“All of these issues are related. A woman’s reproductive rights are just as related to how she can care for her family as discrimination in the workplace. Connecting the dots on women’s equality is important. “