Proactive on abortion Hochul signs bills to counteract possible KO of Roe v. Wade
ALBANY — New York is going further to protect abortion seekers and providers as a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling is expected that could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
Gov. Hochul signed a package of new measures Monday meant to bolster legal protections for abortion service providers against extradition, arrest and legal proceedings originating in other states and to bar medical misconduct charges for performing reproductive health care.
“The sky is on the verge of falling, literally, in the next week or two that is a very real possibility. And that’s why we’re here today,” Hochul said during a signing ceremony at Cooper Union’s Manhattan campus.
The Supreme Court is likely to issue a ruling this month that could invalidate its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established a federally protected right to abortion.
New York’s new law protecting providers, which also bars state and local courts and law enforcement agencies from cooperating with other states in most scenarios, went into effect immediately.
“This is the United States of America, where freedom and liberty are supposed to mean something,” Hochul said. “It’s the rock upon which we were founded. It’s supposed to mean something except in the eyes of some Neanderthals, who think women are not entitled to those rights.”
A separate bill signed Monday bars medical malpractice insurance companies from taking any adverse action against a reproductive care provider based on complaints from other states.
Another protects the right of people to seek abortion or gender-affirming care in the Empire State.
“These bills today will say that we will not aid and abet anyone who wants to criminalize our right to choose,” said Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers), who joined Hochul at the signing along with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx).
A draft Supreme Court opinion leaked last month indicated the nation’s highest court could move to strike down Roe v. Wade, which has protected abortion rights across the nation for nearly half a century.
Several conservative states have so-called “trigger laws” on the books that will instantly ban abortions should Roe be struck down by the high court.
New York, however, ensured that reproductive rights will still be protected with the enactment in 2019 of the Reproductive Health Act.
The measure codified Roe into state law and also allows a pregnancy to be terminated after 24 weeks if a woman’s life is in danger or the fetus is not viable. It allows a licensed or certified health care practitioner to perform abortions.
Other bills signed Monday will make it easier for abortion providers and employees to keep their addresses confidential and will allow the state Health Department to study the effects of anti-abortion pregnancy centers. All of the measures were passed during the final week of the legislative session in Albany this month.
Some of the bills faced pushback from Republicans and religious groups, who argued that they go to far.
“At a time when women and children need more support than ever, we are disappointed to see New York continue to focus on promoting abortion,” Kristen Curran, director of government relations for the New York State Catholic Conference, said in a statement. “This package of bills seeks to encourage abortion tourism, rather than helping women and children who may be in need.”