(UPDATED 6/16/14)  Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R, C, I, Brooklyn, Staten Island) urged her colleagues on Friday to let each point in the Women’s Equality Act stand on its own merits and go up for a separate vote. Malliotakis said of the controversial abortion expansion plank:  

The sticking point is somewhat perplexing. New York ranks among the top states in the nation for number of abortions performed. In New York City, a striking 41 percent of pregnancies end in abortion, equating to roughly 87,000 abortions per year. Clearly, there is not a lack of access to abortion here in our state. Then why do the Assembly Democrats continue to hold up so many good measures for a 10th plank that they claim simply “codifies” federal law? They need to stop holding the Women’s Equality Act hostage and put forth a plan we can all be proud of.

Here’s Malliotakis’ complete statement, “Albany Must Not Fail Women Again.”

Others who support breaking the bill into separate votes include Assemblywomen Donna Lupardo (D-Endwell, Broome County), and Sandra Galef (D-Ossining, Westchester County). Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, issued a statement Friday calling for separate votes as well.

Tracey Brooks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates, said women’s groups are still pushing for all components of the WEA, “and we’re not stopping until we get all of them.”