Expand women’s health, rights
Last year was the worst since 1973 for abortion rights and access. On this 49th anniversary of the decision in Roe v. Wade, and the third anniversary of New York’s passage of the Reproductive Health Act, which modernized the state’s abortion laws , this country is under siege from a vocal minority determined to limit your reproductive health and rights.
In 2022, the landscape on abortion in this country is poised to radically change. In states like Texas and Mississippi, unconstitutional and unconscionable restrictions have made their way to the Supreme Court, where our reproductive health, rights and freedoms could have the clock rolled back 50 years. Let’s be clear — these bans and restrictions on abortion and reproductive health care are deeply rooted in misogyny, white supremacy and political control.
Despite the onslaught of attacks, poll after poll continues to show that more than seven in 10 Americans support legal abortion. But if Roe falls, 26 states could move to ban abortion, creating an untenable and grossly inequitable gradient of care availability across the United States. The result? Thirty-six million individuals — nearly half of whom are of reproductive age — could lose access to health care. New York, along with states like California and Illinois, are becoming “access states” — where individuals seek health care when it is inaccessible in their own state.
A right means nothing without meaningful access. Even in New York, a state that legalized abortion in 1970 (three years before Roe v. Wade), comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care can be out of reach. Barriers like affordability, lack of transportation, availability of child care, time off from work and provider availability can limit individual’s abilities to control their reproductive health.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has outlined several proposals designed to break down some of these barriers, such as advancing equality in our state constitution, strengthening insurance coverage for abortion, and investing in the providers who are critical to making the right to sexual and reproductive health care a reality. Funding for providers of reproductive health services has failed to increase in the last decade, despite the rising costs of delivering this vital health care. If New York providers are to meet the needs of patients today and prepare for the increased needs of tomorrow that have come with the unraveling of abortion rights around the country, state leaders must act.
New York has a proud legacy of protecting and advancing reproductive health and rights that our current state leaders must build upon. The Reproductive Health Act leveled our state law with Roe, but it was not a finish line. New York’s Legislature must meet the urgency of this moment and advance measures to protect and expand reproductive health and rights – and it must happen this legislative session.
Despite the onslaught of attacks, poll after poll continues to show that more than seven in 10 Americans support legal abortion. But if Roe falls, 26 states could move to ban abortion, creating an untenable and grossly inequitable gradient of care availability across the United States.