Editor’s note: The views expressed in this editorial are those of the author.
In November vote NO to question one on the Connecticut ballot asking if there should be a constitutional convention. This convention would take away rights, not add them, and give lobbyists and special interest groups a direct way to alter Connecticut’s constitution.
State legislators appoint delegates to the convention and these delegates can propose anything they want to be added or taken out of the constitution.
Not only does this put our rights up for grabs, but it would take a year of the state legislature’s time to plan and carry out the convention.
Instead of having a productive session in the Connecticut General Assembly, they would spend time and taxpayers’ money letting people we did not elect play with our rights.
No matter what you believe in, nobody but the delegates at the convention have a say over what is proposed and passed.
The biggest proponents of the convention are the Family Institute of Connecticut, which opposes, for example, marriage equality for same sex couples and reproductive choice.Having the convention would allow a special interest group like this one to directly impact our rights. While progressive campaigns like Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change are trying to take special interest groups out of the government, a Constitutional Convention would invite these groups right into our government to alter the constitution as they want.
Vote NO to the Constitutional Convention and allow our elected officials and the people of Connecticut to remain in control of our rights.
Rebecca Saxon
Connecticut College ‘09
Planned Parenthood of Connecticut Campus Action Intern
The author of this editorial is a member of Planned Parenthood of CT’s Campus Action Internship program. The goal of the program is to train the state’s next generation of leaders for the reproductive justice movement. For more information about the program or Campus Action events on your campus and in your community, please contact organizing at ppct.org