Funding New York’s Abortion Care and Infrastructure

NIRH has been working for decades to improve access to abortion care in our home state of New York.

In 2019 and on the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, New York enacted the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) to decriminalize and safeguard abortion and ensure greater access to reproductive health care. New York’s RHA is an example of bold legislation designed to ensure women have the health care they need and providers can meet the needs of their patients without political interference.

The RHA ignited progress across the country, as eight more states enacted protections for abortion rights and access. But much remained to be done in New York.

In 2022, NIRH teamed up with New York Governor Kathy Hochul to create a $35M investment to directly support New York abortion providers in anticipation of Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Andrea Miller, President of NIRH, called this initiative a “down payment” on the necessary response to Roe being overturned.

Also, the recent New York state budget includes two important steps for ensuring greater access to abortion care:

• Private insurance in New York is now required to cover all abortions at no cost to patients
• Eligible New Yorkers will now have 12 months of Medicaid coverage after a pregnancy ends, regardless of citizenship status, a key step in reducing maternal mortality

And we’re not stopping there! NIRH has joined New York Attorney Letitia James, Senator Cordell Cleare, and Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas in 2022 to call for a $50M Reproductive Freedom and Equity Fund to fund abortion access for people who cannot afford it, travel for anyone coming to New York for care, and infrastructure for abortion providers in New York.