National Institute for Reproductive Health Unveils Vibrant New Look As It Advocates Aggressively for Bills to Safeguard Access to Abortion, Contraception in NY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2017
Contact: Christie Petrone, 646-520-3504, [email protected]

NEW YORK — The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) and its political arm, the NIRH Action Fund, today unveiled a bold and vibrant new look to underscore its proactive and unapologetic approach to reproductive freedom.

“With the federal landscape so hostile, 2017 will be a year of fearless advocacy and fierce resistance at the state and local level, especially in progressive states like New York,” said Andrea Miller, president of NIRH and the NIRH Action Fund. “The new logo embodies the bold stance we have always taken to advance reproductive freedom in New York and beyond.”

NIRH and the NIRH Action Fund previously operated in New York as NARAL Pro-Choice New York, and continue to engage in direct legislative and policy advocacy and electoral engagement, respectively. While NIRH and the NIRH Action Fund work at the state and local level across the country, securing and increasing access to abortion and contraception in New York remains a priority because, in our current regressive climate, the need for models of progressive leadership is greater than ever.

“State protections are urgently needed now more than ever, as we witness increased attacks on reproductive freedom under the Trump administration — including the real possibility that access to abortion could be severely curtailed and affordable access to contraception reversed,” said Miller. “New York holds the blueprint to enshrine and expand what are currently federal rights in state law, through the Reproductive Health Act and the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act. We cannot afford any further delay.”

The Reproductive Health Act (RHA) and the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act (CCCA), critical bills that would safeguard access to abortion and contraception in New York, were both passed in January by the state Assembly. The RHA would enshrine into state law the right to choose abortion as originally recognized in Roe (including a health exception later in pregnancy), and would ensure abortion is regulated as a public health, not a criminal, matter. The CCCA would establish in state law advancements like no co-pays for the full range of contraceptive methods, and goes even further than the Affordable Care Act by including male contraceptives and emergency contraception and enabling up to 12 months of contraception at a time.

“New York has a proud legacy to uphold, as well as a responsibility to be a leader for the nation by demonstrating the possibility of progressive reform,” said Miller. “Our state legislators must take the bold steps to ensure that New York not only protects and advances contraceptive and abortion access for New York women, but also nudges the nation toward greater reproductive freedom.”

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The NIRH Action Fund conducts nonpartisan advocacy and electoral engagement to advance reproductive freedom in states and cities across the country.