Res 0889-2025

Whereas, On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the longstanding legal precedent that found that the right to abortion was protected by the United States Constitution; and Whereas, New York was the first state to legalize abortion in 1970 without residency requirements; and Whereas, Despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion remains legal in New York as a result of statutory and state constitutional measures implemented to protect confidential access to abortion and reproductive healthcare; and Whereas, The New York State Legislature in 2019 passed the Reproductive Health Act with the intention to codify Roe v. Wade protections into state law and ensure access to safe and legal abortions in New York State; and Whereas, Additional existing statutory protections in New York State for reproductive healthcare include public and private funding for medically necessary abortion care for all residents, including minors, transgender and nonbinary individuals; confidentiality that prohibits healthcare providers from sharing medical records or information about reproductive healthcare services without consent; protection from employers discriminating against employees based upon their reproductive decisions; and New York's Shield Laws which protects patients and providers from prosecution or civil liability stemming from out-of-state laws; and Whereas, In 2022, with the COVID-19 pandemic having already increased the use of telemedicine, medication abortion through telemedicine became a vital connection to reproductive healthcare for pregnant persons living in states who prohibited access to abortion and abortion medications; and Whereas, In March 2025, New York Governor Hochul invoked New York Shield Laws to reject an extradition request from Louisiana Governor Landry in response to a New York physician who was charged with prescribing abortion inducing pills to the mother of a pregnant minor in Louisiana-an example of states seeking to impose criminal penalties, malpractice or professional disciplinary body sanctions on out-of-state abortion actors who might threaten or intimidate persons choosing to have an abortion or utilize any reproductive health service; and Whereas, In 2024, voters in New York State approved the Equal Rights Amendment, amending the state constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy; and Whereas, According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the current federal administration has repeatedly vowed to ban abortion nationwide and "imperil the ability of anyone to get an abortion anywhere in the country under any circumstance"; and Whereas, Millions of people of reproductive age now live miles from the nearest abortion provider, forcing them to travel outside their home state in order to secure access to safe and confidential reproductive healthcare services; and Whereas, According to a Guttmacher Institute study, an estimated 155,000 people traveled to New York City to obtain reproductive healthcare medications and safe and confidential abortion procedures; and Whereas, In 2022, the New York City Council voted and passed the "NYC Abortion Rights Act" bill package of laws and resolutions, seeking to protect women, transgender, and gender non-conforming people's access to safe abortion, codifying New York's role as a safe harbor for reproductive healthcare for New Yorkers, as well as those and those traveling to New York to seek reproductive healthcare from other states; and Whereas, The 2022 NYC Abortion Rights Act legislation included Local Law 74 which prohibited the use of city resources to enforce abortion restrictions; Local Law 75 which created a public information and outreach campaign regarding safe access to reproductive health care; Local Law 76 which created a cause of action related to interference with reproductive or endocrine medical care; and Local Law 77 which required the department of consumer and worker protection to implement an outreach and education campaign on facilities that deceptively advertise or are otherwise misleading when offering reproductive health services; and Whereas, The 2022 NYC Abortion Rights Act legislation also included several resolutions including Resolution 200, a Resolution declaring January 22, 2023 as Roe v. Wade Day in the City of New York to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landmark United States Supreme Court decision; and Whereas, The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has also established the New York City Abortion Access Hub, provides resources and information to persons seeking reproductive healthcare; and Whereas, In the face of a federal administration that has promised to continue to challenge, threaten and attempt to eradicate access to contraception and reproductive healthcare for all people, New York City has demonstrated a willingness and a broad and ongoing commitment to ensure reproductive healthcare services are available today, tomorrow and for future generations; now, therefore, be it Resolved, The Council of the City of New York declares New York City's commitment to affirm and defend continued access for reproductive rights. CD LS #19034 5/2/25 4