- New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday signed a bill that allows doctors to prescribe abortion pills to non-residents of the state.
- New York now joins several other states that protect interstate abortion-seekers with telehealth “shield” laws.
- “Extremist legislators in other states can stop their health care providers from supplying abortion pills. If that’s your state, I feel sorry for your constituents. But they can’t stop us. They can’t stop our providers,” Hochul said at a signing ceremony.
A law to protect New York doctors who prescribe abortion pills to patients in states where the procedure is prohibited was signed Friday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said the measure would serve women living in states with restrictions.
Coming a year after the US Supreme Court struck down nationwide abortion rights, the law prohibits New York officials from cooperating with certain legal actions initiated in states where abortion is prohibited, such as arrests or extraditions. New York joins several other states with similar telehealth “shield laws.”
“Extremist legislators in other states can stop their health care providers from supplying abortion pills. If that’s your state, I feel sorry for your constituents. But they can’t stop us. They can’t stop our providers,” Hochul, a Democrat, said at a bill signing ceremony.
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A year after the Dobbs ruling, 14 states have banned abortion throughout pregnancy — with some exceptions. Some states have adopted deeper restrictions. In total, 25 million women of childbearing age now live in states with abortion restrictions or stricter restrictions.
New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law that allows doctors to prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to out-of-state patients. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)
New York has already adopted protections for medical professionals who provide abortion care for patients traveling from states with restrictions or prohibitions. But Hochul and lawmakers expanded protections for telehealth services at a time when more than half of abortions in the US are performed with medication.
The co-founder of ACT Access, Dr. Linda Prine said they will send pills as soon as the law is signed.
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The measure was given final approval by the Legislature earlier this week at the end of its regular session.
Also on Friday, Arizona’s Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs signed a sweeping executive order to protect anyone involved in a legally obtained abortion from prosecution.
The order prohibits local prosecutors from bringing cases related to abortion and state agencies from assisting in any criminal investigation without a court order. In addition, Arizona will not honor any extradition requests for persons seeking to assist, provide or seek an abortion.
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Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, is the only official who can handle abortion-related prosecutions.
