'It is up to us to diligently consider whether our Senator kept his promise'

Our Democratic controlled State Senate and Assembly recently passed the “Reproductive Health Act” (RHA). Governor Cuomo signed the act into law on January 22, 2019.
Under this new law:
• The death of a third-trimester child resultant from an act of violence against the mother is no longer a crime. (Repeal of NYS Penal Law sections 125.40 and 125.45)
• An abortion performed by a non-qualified person is no longer a crime. (Repeal of NYS Penal Law Section 125.05, subdivisions 2 and 3)
• There is no longer a requirement for a second physician to be present during a third-trimester abortion to provide “immediate care for any live birth that is the result of the abortion”. (Repeal of NYS Public Health Law Section 4164, subdivision 1)
• A child born alive during a third-trimester abortion no longer has expressed “immediate legal protection under the laws of the state of New York,” including the Civil Right to privacy. (Repeal of NYS Public Health Law Section 4164, subdivision 2)
The repeal of these protections has nothing to do with preserving the health and well-being of the expectant mother.
Instead, they deprive both newborn children and parents of justice in the event of a barbaric crime or an act of depraved indifference by a physician.
Our newly elected State Senator, James Skoufis, campaigned as a moderate in 2018. He promised to represent constituents on “both sides of the aisle.”
Senator Skoufis voted “Yes” on the Reproductive Health Act, strictly along party lines.
The RHA is one of the “Progressive” agenda items Republican and independent voters were warned against if they voted for a State Senator based on “local accomplishments.”
It is up to us to diligently consider whether our Senator kept his promise of “equal treatment for all, special treatment for none” when he runs for reelection in 2020.
John Allegro
Monroe