The Supreme Court ruled on Friday to overturn the constitutional right to abortion, following through on the draft opinion leaked last month.
The decision, a reversal of the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling that protected the right to abortion, allows states to decide their own abortion laws. It’s expected that about half of the states in the U.S. will impose abortion bans, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights advocacy group. Thirteen states, including Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, have “trigger laws” on the books that now will go into effect since this ruling, effectively banning abortion within 30 days.
At least tens of thousands of people are predicted to flock to places like New York and California, which are considered “havens” for abortion access.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is the current law around abortion access in New York?
In New York, abortion is legal at up to 24 weeks of pregnancy and after 24 weeks if your health is at risk or your pregnancy will not survive.
What protections for abortion exist in New York?
In 2019, New York state expanded abortion rights through the Reproductive Health Act. Prior to this legislation, abortion was regulated in the state’s criminal code and hadn’t been updated in 50 years. No other medical procedure was regulated like a crime, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union.
It also expanded who could provide abortions to include licensed or certified health care professionals, like nurse practitioners, instead of only doctors.
Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul passed a series of bills strengthening abortion access by protecting abortions providers from getting sued by other states where abortions are illegal.
What resources are there for people seeking abortions in New York?
New York state has set aside $35 million for those from restrictive states seeking abortions in New York. Abortion providers will be given $25 million to expand infrastructure and capacity as an influx of people are expected to arrive in New York for abortion care, Hochul said. An additional $10 million would be used to boost security of the facilities providing care.
New York City also allocates municipal funds specifically for abortions. The city budgets $250,000 for this fund each year since the fund was set up in 2019. About a third of the roughly 600 people served by these funds are from out of state, according to Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, who was a key player in establishing the city’s abortion access fund.
What could come next?
Lawmakers sought to create the first passage of a constitutional amendment earlier this month, which advocates believe would make it harder to overturn in the future.
Mayor Eric Adams called on Albany to address this issue in a special session planned for next week to address the Supreme Court gun ruling, according to sources.
“We should look at every law that’s possible in the state, and we should, just as we’re going to ask the governor to return to Albany to deal with the right to carry, we should deal with this issue,” Adams said on Friday.
The next legislative session is scheduled for January. However, discussions are taking place in Albany to potentially address this issue sooner, according to sources.
Councilwoman Rivera has also said she is pushing to increase the $250,000 allotted each year to the city’s abortion fund.
“Hopefully, people will know New York City's a place they can come to as a safe haven, as a place that has directly funded these programs and services and we have to continue to get that message out to so many others,” Rivera said in May.
Providers like Planned Parenthood of Greater New York are also increasing their capacity to serve patients.
The organization announced Friday they are boosting abortion appointment availability by 20% at its 23 health centers across the state.