Women Across the Country Health and Life at Risk
In Post-Roe America New York is Safe
May 3, 2022 – New York – As states across the country have rushed to safeguard or roll back abortion rights and access, New York stands as one of only 16 states that explicitly protect the right to abortion today.
The Reproductive Health Act (RHA), became law in New York in 2019. It moved abortion regulation into the health code and expanded the category of medical professionals who can perform the procedure.
“In post-Roe America, New York is a safe haven for women,” said Sonia Ossorio, president of the National Organization for Women in New York, which campaigned to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into state law. “In much of the rest of the country women will lose their right and access to abortion when Roe v. Wade is struck down and women’s lives, health, and stability will be at risk.”
At least half of all states are ready to ban abortion. In fact, 13 states have in place trigger laws to further restrict and ban abortion that automatically kick in as soon as federal protections end and states are allowed to criminalize abortion. In a large swath of the country in the Midwest and the South, in particular, women will live in a reproductive healthcare desert.
“Now we must turn our attention and resources to vulnerable states to ensure state-by-state that women don’t lose their fundamental right to reproductive freedom. This is a call to action like no other. Women’s lives depend on it. If you believe in a woman’s right to control her life and body, now is the time to step up.” Ossorio said.
“Of course, the burden of having a government tell women what to do with the most intimate and private parts of our lives will have the most devastating impact on poor women,” Ossorio said, noting that the majority, 62% of women who have abortions are already mothers.
NOW-NY advocates for laws that defend our rights and break barriers for women and girls. We work to advance economic opportunity and fairness in the workplace, protect and expand reproductive rights, and strengthen our criminal justice system for victims of gender-based violence.
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