LOUISVILLE BRANCH NAACP OPPOSES CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

The Louisville Branch NAACP is urging voters to say “NO” to two proposed constitutional amendments on the November General Election ballot that it views as government overreach and an attack on women’s civil rights.

Amendment 1 is being pushed by the Republican supermajority in the General Assembly and would give the legislature authority to call itself into special session and extend regular sessions. A special session would only need the joint approval of the House Speaker and Senate president – not the entire legislature.

Currently, only the Governor is empowered to call special sessions and set the agenda. The governor would retain that authority.

The constitution also does not allow regular sessions to be extended, but the amendment would allow lawmakers to extend a session with a three-fifths vote.

In a resolution unanimously approved by its membership, the NAACP said the Kentucky Constitution establishes three co-equal branches of government with each serving as a check on the other to balance power.

The resolution states: “Our current structure has and is serving the Commonwealth well. Amendment 1 represents a power grab by a party with a supermajority whose actions and track records have not always reflected the views and sentiments of the majority of Kentuckians.”

The NAACP said Amendment 2 would virtually eliminate abortion rights in Kentucky. It would take away a woman’s right to choose how she manages her body and restricts reproductive freedom.

The amendment would add the phrase “To protect human life, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”

The NAACP said: “Passage of Amendment 2 would represent a major intrusion into a woman’s personal choice.”

The Louisville Branch works daily for equal justice under the law and sees the passage of Amendment 2 as antithetical to the policies and principals of the NAACP.

The NAACP went on to say that it sees adoption of Amendment 2 as a step in the further erosion of basic civil rights, the overturning of Brown v. Board of Education and the return of “separate but equal” and maybe worse.

The NAACP is calling for its members and general public to vote “NO” on both amendments.