Economic Case for Prop 1

Dear New York Voters,

On Election Day, New Yorkers have an opportunity to elevate our existing fundamental human rights to protection by New York’s state constitution by simply flipping the ballot and voting “yes” for Proposal Number One (Prop One); an Amendment to Protect Against Unequal Treatment.

As required by New York law, this proposed amendment was voted for in two separate legislative sessions before being presented to voters for consideration this year. This straightforward amendment closes loopholes in the state constitution to ensure that no New Yorker can be discriminated against by the government, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, pregnancy status, pregnancy outcomes including abortion and miscarriage, disability status, or whether someone is LGBT. By enshrining these anti-discrimination measures in the state constitution, Prop One precludes future shifting political tides from depriving New Yorkers of fundamental rights.

Prop One’s consistency with America’s aspiration to treat all people equally makes good economic sense. Studies published by the World Health Organization, [1] National Institutes of Health[2] and National Bureau of Economic Research collectively demonstrate that oppression and discrimination are predictive of poor mental health, while the status of one’s mental health links to individual and systemic economic outcomes. Further, the studies assert public policy has a role. According to the 2016 WHO Study, depression and anxiety disorders cost the world nearly 1 trillion annually. London School of Economics Professor Nava Ashraf who was involved in the WHO Study while at Harvard stated, “People feel more mentally healthy when they feel a strong sense of agency in their lives. That goes for pretty much everyone. And when people feel healthier they’re more productive too.”[3] One in five adults in the United States experience mental illness which can consist of debilitating negative thinking and inaction impairing function in the workplace, costs associated with healthcare and suicide, as well as overall diminished consumer engagement; the cumulative economic costs amount to an estimated $282 billion annually according to a 2024 research paper produced by the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research.[4] The primary public policy recommendation from these studies consists of expanded mental health treatment services. Because Prop One is intended to prevent discrimination, the promise of outlawed discrimination has the potential to eliminate poor mental health repercussions related to discrimination, pre-empt the associated negative economic ripple effects and transform instead into positive health and economic outcomes.

Go Vote!

1 https://www.who.int/en/news-room/detail/13-04-2016-investing-in-treatment-for-depression-and-anxiety-leads-to-fourfold-return

2 Understanding the Psychological Impact of Oppression Using the Trauma Symptoms of Discrimination Scale. National Institutes of Health; January 2023 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/24705470221149511

3 The $1 Trillion Link Between Mental Health And Economic Productivity (forbes.com) June 29, 2016

4 MACROECONOMICS OF MENTAL HEALTH, NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES; National Bureau of Economic Research. April 2024 http://www.nber.org/papers/w32354 title (nber.org)

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By Elisabeth N. Radow, a Westchester, New York based attorney and co-president of the League of Women Voters-Larchmont/Mamaroneck.