Download a PDF of this information. Every woman should be able to decide what is best for her and her family when making personal decisions like whether to use contraception, bear a child or end a pregnancy.
  • Many politicians in Washington don't want women to have access to birth control pills and family planning services. More states passed abortion restrictions last year than ever before. The ability of women across the country to make their own personal health care decisions and access basic health care services is under attack.
  • The Reproductive Health Act will guarantee that, under New York law, every woman has a right to make the personal family planning decisions that are best for her and her family. The Reproductive Health Act will preserve a woman's right to control whether or not she uses contraception, bears a child or ends a pregnancy, no matter what happens in Washington or the courts.
New Yorkers support a woman's right to choose. So should New York's law.
  • A majority of New Yorkers feel that the right to make private reproductive health care decisions is threatened. Women are sick of their health being used as a political pawn. New Yorkers overwhelmingly support a woman's right to choose, and our politicians should be making it easier and safer for New York women to access the care they need.
  • Seven out of 10 New Yorkers – across political and religious lines – support the Reproductive Health Act.
Every woman in New York should be able to end a pregnancy if her pregnancy endangers her health.
  • Sometimes a pregnancy puts a woman's health and life at risk. When this happens – often late in a pregnancy – a woman is faced with the difficult decision of whether to have an abortion in order to protect her own health. This difficult, personal decision should be made by a woman and her doctor, not politicians in Washington or Albany. Currently, New York criminalizes abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy, unless a woman's life is at risk. New York law does not make the same, constitutionally required exception when a woman's health is at risk.
No doctor should fear being thrown in jail for helping a woman whose health is threatened by pregnancy.
  • Because New York law is unclear, many doctors fear that they risk criminal prosecution if they provide abortion care to a woman whose health is endangered later in a pregnancy. As a result, many health care providers are deterred from providing the best care to their patients, and some women are forced to leave the state to get the health care they need.
  • The Reproductive Health Act will make it crystal clear that women may obtain – and doctors may provide – abortion care when a pregnancy puts a woman's health in danger. The Reproductive Health Act would also move abortion regulation out of the criminal laws and into the public health laws where medical practice is generally regulated. Doctors who provide reproductive health care will still be regulated to ensure they are providing safe, effective and legal care, but doctors will no longer have to fear criminal prosecution for treating a woman whose pregnancy is harming her health.
New York has a responsibility to lead the nation in the right direction.
  • New York can turn the tide on the anti-woman wave sweeping the nation by passing the Reproductive Health Act. New York can be one of the only states to proactively protect women's health and reproductive rights. Doing so would send a powerful and necessary signal across the country that women and their doctors must be able to – and trusted to – make personal health care decisions that are best for themselves and their families.
  • Janice Tennant, Voter

    Too many states are placing restrictions on reproductive rights; I'm proud that New York is going in the opposite direction and standing up for women's health. As a New York voter, I support the Reproductive Health Act. I strongly believe that each woman has the right to make for herself the private and personal decision about when and whether to have a child.

    Maureen Paul, Doctor

    When I am caring for a woman, I need to be able to use my best medical judgment to treat her, not have my hands tied. As a doctor, I took a solemn oath to protect the health and safety of my patients. But the federal government has placed increasing restrictions on a woman's right to have an abortion — even if her health is in danger. New York State needs to act now to protect women, and doctors, by making sure a woman is able to have an abortion if her health is endangered at any point in pregnancy.

    Reverend Carlton Veazey, Clergy Member

    As a matter of faith, we support the right of all women to have the full range of information about and access to all their reproductive health options and the ability to make these very personal decisions based on their own ethical or religious beliefs, free from government interference. Women's health advocates, religious leaders, and people of faith need to stand together to protect a woman's right to services and allow her to follow her own conscience.
    Women make reproductive decisions—including abortion, adoption or having a child—for many different reasons. While people may disagree with some of those reasons, it is important that each woman be able to make the decision that is right for her, her circumstances and her family. The Reproductive Health Act will ensure that New York State continues to stand up for a woman's ability to make her own private, personal decision.

    Marion Banzhaf

    When I got pregnant my freshman year of college, it was 1971. I knew I wasn't ready to have a child, but I was in Florida where abortion was not yet legal, and it was also illegal to print any information about abortion. Since Roe was not yet the law of the land, one of the only places where you could get a legal abortion was New York. New York was at the forefront of protecting women's rights when I needed help. Our state needs to once again take the lead when it comes to ensuring reproductive justice.

    Ilene Jaroslaw

    When I became pregnant with my third child, everything looked good in early tests. About 17 weeks into my pregnancy, however, a sonogram showed that part of my baby's brain was missing and she or he would not survive. Because of previous health complications, an abortion was the only option to protect my health and fertility. I think it's important to talk about this because while abortion should be a personal decision, politicians try to interfere. I can't imagine what my family and I would have gone through if abortion weren't safe and legal.

    Morgan Cousins

    I was surprised when I found out I was pregnant. It was a humbling moment that challenged everything I thought I knew about who I am. After talking with close friends and family, I decided that who I am could also include being a mother. My decision to continue my pregnancy was not easy to make. I knew that any decision I could have made at that point was going to change my life. The fact is, my decision is more meaningful because I had the choice. It is simply a human right to choose what your path in life should look like. I couldn't imagine living in a world where I had no choice at all.




    * NARAL Pro-Choice New York commissioned Global Strategy Group to conduct a survey of registered voters in New York State. The margin of error on the overall sample is +/-3.5%.