Governor Kathy Hochul signs abortion rights package (June 13, 2022)
Governor Kathy Hochul signed a package of bills Monday to protect abortion rights in the state.
This comes after a leak of a Supreme Court draft decision in May that suggests the court will overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away the right to abortion across the nation.
Abortion rights are already codified into New York state law, but legislation signed by Hochul will also protect abortion providers as well as women from other states.
Hochul addressed the leaked Supreme Court decision, saying she is acting as if the decision is final, “My friends, 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. I have three messages regarding the persistent assault on women’s rights, and a woman’s right to determine and make her own decisions about her own body. And they are simple messages: Not here. Not now. Not ever.”
The first bill allows New Yorkers to file lawsuits against people who are trying to limit their reproductive freedoms.
The second allows the state to protect women from other states who are wanted on criminal charges from extradition.
The third and fourth bills will allow the state to defend abortion providers from medical malpractice and licensure issues.
The fifth will allow providers and their family members to keep their addresses confidential to keep them safe.
The sixth bill signed by the governor allocates a task force to study the impact of limited-service pregnancy centers on women.
The governor recently announced that the state will be providing $35 million to support abortion access, calling it a “nation-leading investment.”
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