The New York State Legislature passed a bill on Tuesday that provides legal protection for New York doctors who prescribe abortion pills to patients in states where abortion is banned.
The bill was approved by a vote of 99 to 45 in the New York State Assembly, and it passed the state Senate last month with a vote of 39 to 22. It is now awaiting the signature of Governor Kathy Hochul.
This bill specifically focuses on protecting doctors in New York who use telehealth systems to provide abortion care to patients in other states. Telehealth allows patients to receive abortion services without having to travel out of state. This legislation builds upon previous laws that protect reproductive health care providers in New York from out-of-state litigation and specifically addresses the use of telehealth.
Assemblymember Karines Reyes, a registered nurse and sponsor of the bill, expressed concern about anti-choice activists trying to undermine doctors and patients’ control over their own bodies. She believes that these anti-choice bills have a negative impact on patients’ health and well-being, and New York is taking a stand against it.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth for various types of healthcare increased significantly. According to the McKinsey COVID-19 consumer survey, telehealth consumer adoption rates rose from 11% in 2019 to 46% in 2020.
New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie believes that telehealth is the future of healthcare. He stated that while anti-choice extremists are rolling back reproductive care across the country, New York remains a sanctuary state for access. He sees it as a moral obligation to protect New York doctors from litigation efforts by anti-choice extremists and help women across the country maintain their bodily autonomy.
It has been one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, resulting in the elimination of federally-protected abortion in the U.S. and leaving the decision up to state legislatures. According to Planned Parenthood, abortion access has been eliminated in 13 states and severely restricted in four others since then.
As a result, medication-induced abortions now make up 54% of all abortions in the U.S. The availability of the common abortion pill, mifepristone, is currently the subject of ongoing lawsuits aiming to restrict access. The Supreme Court recently upheld FDA approval of the pill, maintaining access for now.
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