SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA JOINS 20 FOOT IUD: “FREEDA WOMB” AT HER DEBUT IN NEW YORK

 

Chair of the NYS Senate’s Health Committee joins "The IUD Express" Tour and Giant Inflatable IUD to Rally for Reproductive Rights

State Senator Gustavo Rivera (D, WF - Bronx) joined Americans for Contraception’s “IUD Express” Tour at Times Square today to celebrate New York’s reproductive care protections with “Freeda Womb,” a 20-foot inflatable IUD. Senator Rivera is reminding Americans that the right to birth control, under assault from Republican lawmakers, cannot be taken for granted.

New York State has enacted policies to protect reproductive care from radical right wing agenda that threatens bodily autonomy. Senator Rivera supported codifying $25 million for New York’s Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Program this year to ensure access to abortion in the state and reimburse providers for uncompensated care, on top of an additional $1 million to support abortion services under the grant program. Last year, he supported legislation that allowed physicians and nurse practitioners to prescribe non-patient specific orders for contraceptives; to expand protections for reproductive health services from subpoenas and investigations from other states. Senator Rivera knows how important it is to make sure New Yorkers play their part locally and nationally to protect these rights.

During the November election, New Yorkers will consider a proposed constitutional amendment that would ensure that pregnancy outcomes are no longer grounds for discrimination. Its passage would enact the Equal Rights Amendment, which Senator Rivera supports. 

“I’m proud that New York is expanding reproductive care access while offering a safe haven for other Americans who are losing that access and whose lives are put at risk when they cannot seek necessary medical services in their own state,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera, Chair of the Health Committee. “I urge New Yorkers to support the Equal Rights Amendment and enshrine critical protections into our state constitution by voting for Proposition 1 on their November ballots. A lot is at stake in the upcoming election, so we brought a giant IUD to Times Square to remind folks that across the country these rights are being taken away and threatened.”