Folks,

52 years ago today, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Roe v. Wade, granting women across the country the right to safely and legally receive an abortion.

What happened next is tragic: the far-right anti-abortion movement worked for decades to undermine Roe, deprive women of reproductive freedoms, and use shadowy political tactics to convince the GOP to back anti-choice policies.

In 2022, this movement’s decades of work to undermine reproductive rights achieved their goal when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Overnight, millions of women across the country lost the right to an abortion, a right their mothers had been granted before them.

Since then, I’ve done everything in my power to protect abortion access here in New York. The far-right anti-abortion movement has not stopped its efforts to further restrict reproductive healthcare access, which is why our work remains so vital.

I will continue fighting for reproductive rights and will work to ensure, without a doubt, that those seeking care in New York will be protected. In my State of the State address last week, I laid out new measures to protect access from cuts in federal funding.

On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I’m asking you to join me in pledging to support reproductive rights in New York. Together, we can make sure women in New York and across the country receive the protections they deserve and the autonomy to make decisions about their own bodies.

While other states have taken action to restrict reproductive rights, New York is strengthening them.

Red states like Texas might try to infringe upon our rights. Just last month, Texas’ Attorney General sued a doctor in New York for prescribing medication abortion pills.

Our state’s shield law protects doctors and patients from draconian rules that put women’s lives at risk. I also proposed a policy during my State of the State address to protect medication abortion providers by hiding the provider’s name on prescription labels — to safeguard doctors from harassment and legal action from anti-abortion states.

Abortion is health care, and New York will always be a safe harbor for those who need it — no matter what politicians in Texas or elsewhere try to do.

Sign on in support of our continued efforts to protect reproductive rights in New York.

Thank you,

Governor Kathy Hochul