New Jersey Approves Doctor-Assisted Death; Fight Shifts To New York
New York’s neighbor to the south has just jumped on the doctor-assisted death bandwagon. On March 25, 2019, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide. As of this writing, the bill awaits action by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D), who has stated that he intends to sign it; according to…
NYCF Welcomes Nearly 1,200 To Legislative Day 2019
On March 19, 2019, nearly 1,200 Christians from across New York gathered at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany for New Yorker for Constitutional Freedoms’ 2019 Legislative Day. The theme for this year’s event was “A New Season.” Walt Heyer of SexChangeRegret.comshared his uplifting testimony of freedom from gender dysphoria and explained the causes…
Voters: New York Democrats Are Going Too Far
New York government has been under unified Democratic Party control since January 2019. During that time period, state government has granted “transgender” persons access to opposite-sex facilities by passing the Bathroom Bill, denied youths with unwanted same-sex attraction access to professional counseling, mandated insurance coverage for abortion-causing drugs, passed a series of gun control measures,…
Don’t Forget About Physician-Assisted Suicide
So far this year, a great deal of pro-life attention in New York has necessarily been focused on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s assault on the lives of unborn children. However, it is important that New York Christians and other pro-life allies remain vigilant and engaged on the issue of physician-assisted suicide as well. Bill S.3947-Savino/A.2694-Paulin would…
Colorado ‘Civil Rights Commission’ Settles Second Cakebaker Case
Good news from Colorado! Christian cakebaker Jack Phillips’s drawn-out legal battle with his own state’s so-called ‘Civil Rights Commission’ has come to an end. In June 2018, the Commission’s mean-spirited attempt to punish Phillips for declining to design a cake for a same-sex “wedding” failed when the Supreme Court of the United States released its…
Assembly Health Approves Government Takeover Of Health Insurance
On February 28, 2019, the New York State Assembly Health Committee approved the New York Health Act (Bill S.3577-Rivera/A.5248-Gottfried). The New York Health Act (NYHA) would create a government-controlled single-payer health insurance system in the State of New York. If this bill were passed, most private health insurance would no longer be allowed in New…
New Hope Family Services Has Its Day In Court
As Albany Update has previously reported, the State of New York has demanded that New Hope Family Services—a Christian adoption agency in Syracuse that is funded by private donations—change its adoption placement practices. According to the state, New Hope is violating state regulations because it declines to place children for adoption with same-sex couples or…
Florida Judge Offers Hope To Those With Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction
Last month, New York jumped on the bandwagon of banning reparative therapy by passing the Counselor Coercion Law. As many New Yorkers will recall, the Counselor Coercion Law bars licensed mental health professionals from assisting minor clients in resolving unwanted same-sex attraction. Earlier this month, a federal magistrate judge in Florida opined that a similar…
Legislative Day Looks To The Future Of Pro-Life New York
What are your plans for Tuesday, March 19? At New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF), we hope they include us! On March 19, NYCF and our affiliate organization, New Yorkers Family Research Foundation (NYFRF), are scheduled to hold our annual Legislative Day event at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. Attendees will hear…
Late-Term Abortion Not The Only Anti-Life Legislative Action
The Reproductive Health Act (RHA) was not the only bad bill passed by the New York State Legislature on January 22, 2019. The Senate and the Assembly each passed two other bills that threaten human life and religious liberty: The Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act (CCCA) and the Boss Bill. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to…
Counselor Coercion Bill Clears Senate And Assembly
Religious liberty, free speech, and parental rights took a major hit in the State of New York last week. On January 15, 2019, each house of the New York State Legislature passed the Counselor Coercion Bill (S.1046–Hoylman/A.576–Glick), which bans mental health professionals from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts—or “change therapy”—with minor clients. The Senate…
Cuomo’s Annual Address Fills Liberal Laundry List
Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave his annual budget address on January 15, 2019, but his address went far beyond dollars and cents. According to the New York Post, the Governor “unveiled a new $178.8 billion budget long on his progressive agenda aspirations but often short on details of execution.” The Governor also covered a wide range…
Democratic Socialists Seek Single-Payer Healthcare
One especially ominous item on the Left’s Albany wish list for 2019 is a government takeover of health insurance. Many new members of the New York State Legislature, including some self-avowed Democratic Socialists, promised voters that they would advocate for this extreme and unwise proposal. A government takeover of health insurance—known as a single-payer system—would…
Colorado Cake Baker Still Subject To State Harassment
In 2018, Jack Phillips—the Christian Colorado baker who was punished due to his unwillingness to bake a custom cake for a same-sex “wedding”—won his case at the U.S. Supreme Court. Unfortunately, the Left is not done trying to punish him for living out his Christian beliefs. According to Fox Carolina, Phllips is “suing to try…
Governor Andrew Cuomo Lays Out A Liberal Agenda For New Legislative Session
On Monday, December 17, Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave a speech at the New York City Bar Association setting forth his legislative priorities for the New Year and declaring “independence” from the policies of the federal government under President Donald Trump. To put it mildly, some of the Governor’s priorities need adjusting. According to the Democrat…
New York Needs Prayer As We Face A New Year
As we look ahead to January 2019, it is quite possible that New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms has never needed prayer as urgently as we do now. To put it simply, the dramatic power shift in the New York State Senate that occurred on Election Day means that the many legislative victories with which the…