Today, the New York City Council will vote on several pieces of essential legislation to support and safeguard reproductive rights, including a resolution from Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams urging further federal action to protect the right to an abortion. The Public Advocate is also a co-prime sponsor of key bills in the package to further solidify and protect the right to receive or provide lifesaving healthcare in New York City while conservative states continue to pass new, radical anti-choice legislation.
“Last month, with the Dobbs ruling striking down Roe, the Supreme Court stripped away a fundamental right to privacy and bodily autonomy, striking at our liberty and at the health and safety of women and pregnant people across the country,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “In New York City and state, where abortion is legal and will remain that way, we can do more to protect both New Yorkers and people who come here for abortion services. New York must be a beacon in this moment, a forceful defender of abortion rights for New Yorkers and a refuge for people who cannot access care in their own states. I thank my colleagues in government for their partnership in helping advance key legislation that will further protect abortion rights in New York, and join them in urging federal and state partners to act with an urgency and scope that meets this crisis moment.”
Today, the City Council will vote on the Public Advocate’s resolution, Res. 245, calling on the U.S. Senate to pass, and President Biden to sign, the Women’s Health Protection Act. The Women’s Health Protection Act prohibits governmental restrictions on abortion services and closes loopholes conservative states have used to unfairly discriminate against and shut down abortion providers. Currently, the Women’s Health Protection Act has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is waiting to be taken up by the Senate. Read the resolution here.
To ensure New York City does not spend any of its resources enforcing conservative anti-choice laws, the City Council will vote today on Intro. 466, led by Council Member Tiffany Cabán with the Public Advocate as a co-prime sponsor. This legislation would “prohibit city agencies from using city resources to detain individuals who performed or aided with abortions as well as prohibit city agencies from cooperating with out-of-state entities related to abortions performed in New York state.” Read the bill here.
The City Council will vote on two additional pieces of legislation to cement New York’s status as a sanctuary city for reproductive healthcare. Intro. 475, sponsored by Council Member Shahana Hanif and co-prime sponsored by Council Member Cabán and Public Advocate Williams, would “allow a person to bring a claim of interference with medical care when a lawsuit is commenced against them,” for accessing healthcare that is legal in New York City – so anyone who is sued for terminating a pregnancy is able to bring a claim of interference. Next, Res. 197, sponsored by Council Member Tiffany Cabán and co-prime sponsored by Council Member Marjorie Velázquez and Public Advocate Williams, “declares New York City a safe city for all those in need of abortion-related care,” sending a strong and resounding message that the city will remain a safe haven for anyone seeking reproductive healthcare.
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