Ahead of election, South Shore Women’s Alliance working on policy

The South Shore Women’s Alliance has reconvened ahead of the 2024 election, and held its re-establishment meeting at the Merrick Golf Course’s Clubhouse on Sept. 18. The nonpartisan group has previously worked on a variety of topics and policies, and hopes to educate voters about Proposition 1, which will be on New York ballots in November.

The women’s alliance was first formed in 2017, following the Women’s March in Washington D.C., which was held the day after former president Donald Trump’s inauguration. Originally founded as a democratic women’s caucus, the group transitioned into what it is today — a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates for issues important to not only women, but all voters in general. This is done through partnerships and activities with students, informative panels, and fundraisers for things that the group supports.

During the Sept. 18 meeting, Claudia Borecky, the group’s president, said that in the past, the group organized a response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018; hosted a speaker to discuss health care initiatives in New York; organized rallies against abortion bans; and held fundraisers for groups like Planned Parenthood.

Those who attended last week’s meeting hailed from the Merrick-Bellmore area, East Meadow, Baldwin, Freeport, Levittown, Wantagh, Seaford and the Five Towns.

Borecky said that one highlight was when the group invited lawyers from the South Shore to sponsor a program called “Not Me,” which grew out of the “Me Too” movement, that had been gaining momentum at the time.

“(It) included three, strong, empowering women speakers who discussed how to have a healthy relationship, consent and boundaries,” Borecky said.

Driving the re-establishment of the alliance, Borecky said, was Proposition 1, a state constitutional amendment to ensure equal rights.

The current equal protection clause in the state’s constitution already prohibits discrimination based on “race, color, creed or religion.” The amendment will allow New York voters to include additional classifications that people cannot be discriminated against, such as ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, sexual orientation and gender identity.

The decision to include the amendment on this year’s ballot came in mid-June, and New York Attorney General Letitia James said it was “a huge victory in our efforts to protect our basics rights and freedoms.”

“We will continue to do everything in our power to protect these rights and ensure everyone can live safely and freely in the great State of New York,” James said at the time.

Being nonpartisan, the women’s alliance can work with groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters, and New Yorkers for Equal Rights, spreading the word about the amendment and encouraging people to vote for it.

“Many women really want to push for this amendment,” Borecky said, “because most people don’t know about it.”

Borecky expressed hope that as the election approaches, members of the South Shore Women’s Alliance can begin connecting with different nonpartisan groups to see how they can get involved.

“Most of these groups are already working on it,” Borecky said. “Now we’d like to help, and then we have action to take. It’ll be a coalition of all collations working together.”

On an agenda distributed to attendees, the alliance outlined some goals for outreach the group can take, including meeting with the civil liberties union, the League of Women Voters, New Yorkers for Equal Rights, LGBTQ groups and Planned Parenthood. The alliance also wants to increase awareness of the proposition, by presenting it on lawn signs, fliers and facts sheets, as well as press releases, ahead of the November election.

The group cited the case of Amber Nicole Thurman — a 28-year-old woman from Georgia who died after a hospital was unable to perform necessary, life-saving care following an abortion — as a reason why New Yorkers should support the amendment. Proposition 1 would ensure that women cannot be discriminated against based on pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, and protect their access to reproductive health care by making sure that politicians can’t pass bans or restrict health care options. 

“Turn the page, and vote ‘Yes’ on Proposition 1” is the message the alliance wants to get across. The proposition will be listed on the back of all ballots, meaning voters need to remember to flip it over to cast their decision.

Meeting attendees decided on responsibilities and plans of action, and the group has already begun to communicate with other organizations that support Proposition 1.

To stay up to date on the women’s alliance, and learn about the group’s plans, visit its Facebook page, South Shore Women’s Alliance at Facebook.com/SouthShoreWomensAlliance.