New York City is looking to make sure residents and out-of-towners alike know they are entitled to abortion and other reproductive healthcare, a few weeks before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case that could curtail access to abortion pills.
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration on Monday will roll out a new “Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Bill of Rights,” to be distributed to health care providers and advocacy groups for posting publicly and sharing with patients. The document seeks to clarify New York’s existing policies and abortion protections.
New York City has been actively encouraging residents of states with restrictive abortion laws to travel to the city for care since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022. New Yorkers still make up the overwhelming majority of patients getting abortions locally.
“As much of the nation continues their attacks on abortion care, we won’t ever allow this right to be stripped away here in New York City,” Adams said in a statement. “We are issuing a Reproductive Health Bill of Rights today to do everything in our power to ensure abortion and reproductive health care remain available to residents and visitors alike.”
The new enumeration specifies that patients do not need parental consent to get an abortion and that they should be able to access reproductive care without facing threats or physical obstructions — a possible allusion to groups that have sought to prevent people from getting abortions at local clinics.
The notice also informs patients that in New York, unlike other states, most insurance plans, including Medicaid, cover abortion. And it says patients may otherwise qualify for financial assistance.
Some 4,290 people have contacted the city’s Abortion Access Hub to find abortion services via its phone and chat lines since it launched in November 2022, according city data released with the bill of rights.
About 600 of those callers, or roughly 13%, hailed from other states. More than a…
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