NY’s ‘Equal Rights Amendment’ aims to abolish the right to parent our kids

My fellow New Yorkers and I are poised to answer a profound question on Election Day: Do parents have the right to make decisions for o🦩ur children, or do politicians in Albany get to control our kids?

Shockingly, most ൩New Yorkers don’t even know this questಞion is on the November ballot.

But that’s the reality of Proposition One — the so-called “Equal Rights Amendment.”

Activists and politicians are loudly saying that this constitutional amendment is key to protecting abortion, but that’s not true: The amendment doesn’t m⛎ention abortion at all.

Abortion is also already guaranteed by state law, and there’s zero chance that our elected leaders in Albany will roll back abortion rights anytime soon. New York is easily one of the most pro-aboꦓrtion🙈 states in the country.

So why are activists making the Equal Rights Amendment about abortion? Because they think New Yorkers would be far less likely to support the amendment if the activists talked about the real stakes.

Namely, the threat to parental rights, including our right 𝔉to protect our children from radical transgender 🔴ideology.

I say this as the father of a young teenage son. Like most kids these days, he’s been exposed 🐼to transgender ideolo✃gy at school.

He’s shown no inclination to go d🌌own the dark road of trying to change his gender — but if he did, I’d immediately intervene, w💜hich is my right and my duty as his father.

I’d stop him from getting pumped full of dangerous chemic🌸als, like puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. I’d also block any attempt to mutilate his body with genital surgeries.

Instead, I’d get him real mental-health care to help hiꦆm understand who he really is.

That’s the caring and science-based road, because at least 80% of kids who say they’re transgender ultimately decide they aren’🦂t.

But if kids get hormone treatments and surgeries, they can’t really go back. Puberty-blockers and cross-sex hormones often have permane♒nt side effects — everything from weight gain to blood clots to sexual dysfunction.

The same goes for sex-change surgeries, which can obviously ruin your sexual organs, leave major scars and lead to recurring infections, as people who’ve tried to de-transition have attested.

They often say that when they loo🐷k in the mirror, they don’t recognize themselves anymorꦛe. The drugs and the surgeries have changed them into someone they know they aren’t.

I’d never let my son destroy his future happinessꦏ.

But if the so-called Equal ꦚRights Amendment passes, my right to protect my son woul🧸d no longer be secure.

What the activists and politicians don’t say is that the ballot measure would  to bar discrimination on “gender identity” and “gender e🐈xpression” — as well as on “age.”

That language would empower the Legislature and governor to sign laws that would force me to help🌸 my so⭕n change genders — or else.

Even thinking about this is terrifying. T🌌he state could de🔥clare that if I don’t let my son get hormone treatments, authorities could take him away from me.

Why? Because I’d be “ꦡd♓iscriminating” against him. Ditto if I try to stop him from castrating himself.

I could even lose my son if I tried to stop a schoo🌳l from using female pronouns to refer to him.

In other words, if I tried to parent my son, I could lose my ability ꦜto be a parent at all. I can’t think of a more extreme assault on parental rights, to say nothing of children’s health a🥃nd well-being.

Does anyoneღ seriously doubt that New York’s leaders will go down this radical road?

The state already lets teenagers attempt to transition without telling their parents. The Legislature is also considering a bill that would let teens make transgender medical decisions without their parents’ knowledge.

Clearly✱, our political elites are already in thrall to transgender ideology. They’re also increasingly willing to punish people who don’t share their views. They continually stoop to new lows 💞of vindictiveness.

Why would they stop at taking away parents’ r❀ights to protect ꧟our own kids?

I hope New Yorkers will keep that in mind as they consider their vote on Prop One. The ballot may say we’re🅘 voting on the “Equal Rights Amendment,” but in fact, we’re voting on the “Parent Replacement Act.”

Kelly Eustis is director of member engagement at Do No Harm. He lives in Greenwich, NY.