NIRH Applauds New York City Council’s Announcement of Abortion Access Fund Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: September 13, 2022
CONTACT: Olivia Lapeyrolerie, [email protected]

New Funding Initiative Will Expand Access to Abortion Care and Provide Funding to Assist Pregnant People Traveling to New York for Abortions

New York, New York – The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) applauded Speaker Adrienne Adams and New York City Council for announcing the Abortion Access Fund Initiative, which will further protect access to reproductive health care services in New York City. Working with advocates, Council Members Shahana Hanif and Carlina Rivera, NIRH championed this initiative that will have a major impact on abortion access for New Yorkers and those traveling to New York for reproductive health care services. 

The New York City Council will allocate $1 million in funding for patient access to abortion: $500,000 of which will be given to the Brigid Alliance, an organization dedicated to providing practical support for pregnant people seeking abortions. Additionally, this new initiative provides $250,000 to New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF), in addition to the $250,000 they receive annually, a move which NIRH advocated for directly with New York City council members. 

“We are thrilled that the New York City Council is taking such critical steps toward protecting and expanding abortion access,” said Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) and the NIRH Action Fund. “The New York City Council was the first in the nation to recognize the value of municipal funding for abortion access when it first began funding NYAAF in 2019. Now, with the leadership of Council Members Hanif and Rivera, as well as Speaker Adams, they are once again rising to the challenges we face in the wake of the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

“With the introduction of The Abortion Access Fund Initiative, New York City recognizes that reproductive rights alone are never enough – people need true and equitable access to abortion care. The initiative’s funds will provide greater access to abortion for New Yorkers and help facilitate access to abortion for those who have lost abortion access in their home state.” 

NIRH has been steadfast in urging lawmakers at all levels of government of the necessity to forcefully respond to the fall of Roe v. Wade. With the Supreme Court’s decision, the future of reproductive freedom lies in the hands of local and state governments across the country. The comprehensive measures taken by the New York City Council today are a testament to the importance of electing supporters of abortion access on the local level. 

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The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) is an advocacy group that works directly with state and local reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations to protect and advance equitable access to reproductive health care. Our strategy is to go on the offensive to pass laws that safeguard reproductive freedom. NIRH partners with communities to build coalitions, launch campaigns, and successfully advocate for policy change, so the fabric of reproductive freedom is harder to tear apart.