The timing of the women’s Equality Act” is a crass election year ploy crafted by and for Democrats.
The only question is which candidates are cynical enough to exploit this intentionally divisive scheme. Adam Haber has already answered that question.
It works like this: Gov. Cuomo, according to his website, “introduces” a 10-part piece of legislation. The first nine are good, common sense ideas.
But the 10th is an intentional landmine designed to make anti-abortion Republicans vote against the entire bill, thus allowing cynical opponents to claim the Republican is against women. This is not only amateurish, it also makes an assumption that voters are too shallow to see through it.
If Mr. Haber doesn’t realize this, he may be too naive to serve at this level of government . If he does realize it, shame on him for his cynicism and condescension.
Of course, Democrats will cover themselves by saying that they are for all women’s rights, not garnering them piecemeal.
We should ask them “is this the only chance you have to get that specific piece of abortion legislation passed?” The answer is, of course, no. It could easily be re-introduced as future legislation.
The remainder of this bill, dealing with pay equity, sexual harassment, discrimination, domestic violence and human trafficking could pass with overwhelming Republican support if the Democrats really wanted it to.
The sad truth is that Mr. Haber and other Democrats feel that those issues are more valuable as an election year weapon than they are to the lives of women who would benefit from their passing.
Shame on all of them.
Ray Olsen
Williston Park
