NIRH Applauds Governor Hochul’s Agenda to Protect Abortion Care in New York State

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2021
Contact: Kelly Novak, [email protected]

In the face of state-level draconian abortion bans and the uncertain future of Roe v. Wade, reproductive freedom advocates call for increased protections

NEW YORK –  The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) and its Action Fund praise Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement of an agenda to protect abortion rights in the state of New York, announced this morning. The NIRH Action Fund proudly joined the Governor and a number of champions of reproductive freedom, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, to mark and celebrate the Governor’s announcement. 

The Governor’s agenda includes updated, advocate-informed guidance on continued implementation of the Reproductive Health Act, a Patient Bill of Rights, and a public information campaign on abortion care. Governor Hochul also called for removing barriers to the provision  of abortion services via telehealth.

“Texas has passed the most extreme abortion ban in the country, leading to a crisis point for abortion access. The NIRH Action Fund is pressing forward in every state and city we can to secure equitable access to abortion care — because everyone who needs care should receive with it with support, with dignity, and without fear,” said Andrea Miller, president of NIRH and its Action Fund. “We applaud Governor Hochul for taking bold action to ensure that New York State is doing all it can to ensure access to all New Yorkers and all those who travel here for care. We invite governors and legislators in states across the country to follow her lead.”

Elected leaders at every level of government, in every state and city in this country, have a responsibility to protect equitable access to abortion care right now. Some states are moving in this direction. In 2019, New York passed the Reproductive Health Act to secure abortion rights and expand access in New York, and following several states’ passage of abort bans, states such as Illinois, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Vermont all passed proactive legislation to protect abortion access. This year, New Jersey is on the precipice of passing the Reproductive Freedom Act, and cities are coming forward to protect access; last week the Ft. Lauderdale City Commission committed to protecting access to abortion and reproductive health care. 

“Our job now is to press forward in every state we can and every city we can to secure affordable abortion access — because everyone who needs care should receive with it with support, with dignity, and without fear,” Miller said. 

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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 and allied groups to protect and advance access to reproductive healthcare. For more than 40 years, NIRH has been partnering with communities to build coalitions, launch campaigns, and successfully advocate for policy change. NIRH’s strategy is to go on the offensive and focus on communities where change is needed, so the fabric of reproductive freedom becomes harder to tear apart.