New York state is on the precipice of enacting one of the more liberal abortion laws in the country, one that would allow certain late-term procedures and erase the practice from the penal code.
The Reproductive Health Act appears to be on the fast track for approval in the Democrat-controlled state Senate, which in recent history has been a pro-life bulwark against the more liberal state Assembly.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to be sign it into law on Jan. 22, the 45th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
“Republicans said, ‘You don’t need a state law codifying Roe v. Wade. No administration would ever roll back Roe v. Wade.’ So help me God, this was the conversation, you remember,” Mr. Cuomo said Monday, flanked by Democratic figures, including former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
New York Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to pass the legislation since the days of Gov. Eliot Spitzer in the late 2000s.
On Wednesday, state Sen. Liz Krueger introduced the legislation as Senate Bill S240, which drew 35 co-sponsors. Supporters say it will fortify New York’s abortion rights by adding a broad “health of the mother” exception to the state’s ban on third-trimester procedures, drop the requirement that abortions be performed by a doctor and remove criminal penalties for the practice from state law.
Critics say it goes further than Roe v. Wade, noting that abortion is protected as a legal procedure under a 1970 state law. – READ MORE