A group of New York state senators facing bad publicity for accepting extra pay hope to boost their public image by proclaiming their support for abortion.
WRVO Public Radio reports several legislators from the Independent Democratic Conference of New York recently were exposed for accepting stipends of $12,500 to $18,000 in addition to their salaries for chairing committees. The problem is that they were the vice chairs of the committees, and vice chairs are not entitled to extra pay under the law, according to the report.
The committee members said they did not do anything wrong, but the state attorney general is investigating, the report states.
Now, the Democratic lawmakers are trying to draw attention away from the controversy by bragging about their plans to promote abortion and other liberal causes. They launched a social media campaign this week to tout their “progressive values” and plans to push them on New Yorkers.
In one video, state Sen. Diane Savino said one of their goals is to “codify” abortion on demand in New York in case the U.S. Supreme Court rules against abortion in the future.
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“In the era of Donald Trump, women need protection now more than ever,” Savino said. “We need 32 votes to codify a woman’s right to choose and make decisions about her own reproductive health. The Independent Democratic Conference is the only legislative conference whose members are 100-percent pro-choice.”
Pro-abortion legislators have been trying to pass pro-abortion legislation in the state for years without success. According to the radio report, the bills touted by the Democrats likely would not pass because some state Democratic legislators are conservative on social issues.
In 2013, Gov. Andrew Cuomo attempted but failed to pass the deceptively named “Women’s Equality Act,” which would have expanded late-term abortions on viable unborn babies in the state.
