‘Don’t mess with the state of New York’

NY Gov. directs $35M to abortion providers for out-of-state visitors

NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday that she was sending $35 million into a new fund for abortion providers, stepping up efforts to guarantee access in New York, with the expected fall of federal reproductive rights portending a surge in out-ofstate visitors seeking care.

Describing the new fund as a “nation-leading response,” the governor promised the state will “do whatever it takes to protect and defend the rights of not just New York women, but women all across this nation.”

“New York will be there,” Hochul, who is isolating in Albany with a COVID diagnosis, said in a virtual news conference. “Don't mess with the state of New York.”

The state's first female governor said the fund would be established through the Health Department and would represent the largest allocation of its kind in the U.S.

Hochul's office said the Health Department would direct $25 million in emergency funds to abortion providers, while another $10 million would be funneled through Division of Criminal Justice Services grants to bolster security at abortion clinics.

In 2019, almost 1 in 10 abortions in New York were obtained by out-ofstaters, according to a count by the federal government. The state could face a surge in health care refugees if the Supreme Court follows through on plans to overturn the national right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade.

“In addition to this direct support to providers to make sure that they can be prepared for what will be an influx of patients, we also have to make sure that these facilities are safe,” Hochul said, explaining the security grants. “No one should feel unsafe accessing health care.”