Our work to protect reproductive health care isn’t finished
It’s been nine months since the Supreme Court overturned nearly 50 years of precedent and, for the first time in history, stole a constitutional right from millions of Americans. Since that day last summer, we’ve seen dozens of bills and laws introduced and enacted by anti-abortion politicians across the country, creating a patchwork of inequities that devastate the availability of critical reproductive health care.
Even New York — a state that has worked to protect abortion access — is not immune to these ongoing attacks. A looming decision from a federal judge in Texas could take mifepristone, a safe and effective drug used in medication abortion for more than 20 years, off the market. This would threaten patient-centered abortion care in every state.
Unfortunately, in the case of a federal ruling, New York state cannot simply pass a law to grant access to mifepristone and circumvent these attacks on medication abortion. However, New York is not without options. There is critical work to be done to fortify abortion access in this state, and lawmakers have an opportunity now to enact a state budget that reflects the values of the more than 80 percent of New Yorkers who support abortion access.
Most critically, the state must invest in abortion access by increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for both medication abortion and procedural abortion care. Over 50 percent of patients at Planned Parenthood health centers rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage, and approximately 60 percent of the abortions provided by Planned Parenthood in New York are medication abortions. Providers are losing hundreds of dollars every time they deliver care, and we have seen other states like
California, Oregon and Illinois step up to support their safetynet providers who make access to care a reality.
New York must also establish and fund the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Program, which would invest in equipment, facilities, provider training and recruitment, and security upgrades to strengthen and expand access to sexual and reproductive health care. The program would also invest in abortion funds — critical nonprofit organizations that help individuals who face barriers to accessing abortion care, such as transportation, child care, lodging or the cost of care itself.
These measures combat the politically motivated attacks designed to restrict access to abortion, birth control and other sexual and reproductive health care. We know anti-abortion activists and lawmakers will not stop their attempts to roll back access in every state. New York must work now to remove barriers to abortion care and chart a path forward towards reproductive freedom for all.