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Cuomo Wants To Make 'Roe V. Wade' Part Of State Constitution
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jan 30, 2017
Modified Jan 30, 2017
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jan 30, 2017
Modified Jan 30, 2017
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Governor Cuomo has proposed a constitutional amendment that would codify Roe V. Wade into the New York State Constitution, a move reproductive rights advocates have been pressing for years, and with increased urgency since the election of Donald Trump.
Cuomo announced the proposal at a rally hosted by Family Planning Advocates, which lobbies for Planned Parenthood. "As Washington seeks to limit women's rights, we seek to protect them, and as they threaten reproductive rights, I propose a constitutional amendment to write Roe v. Wade into the New York State Constitution to prevent any attack on the right to choose," he said. "We will not allow the progress of the women's movement to be stopped, and we must seize this opportunity to bring the state and the nation forward and stand up for women's health."
Though New York State legalized most abortions in 1970, three years before the Supreme Court made Roe v. Wade the law of the land, the state law is stricter than the federal one, only permitting late-term abortions if the doctor has reason to believe the pregnant woman's life is at stake. Abortion is also addressed in the state's penal code—advocates have been pressing the state to move it under its health code and expand the law to match it with Roe v. Wade, but that Reproductive Services Act has not yet passed the Senate. Roe v. Wade keeps the state from criminalizing late-term abortions, but that only holds if the federal amendment is not overturned. Late-term abortions will be protected if the state codifies it into its Constitution
For the amendment to become a reality, though, it will have to make it through more than one round in the Senate, which is largely anti-abortion. It will also have to be approved by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who supports the amendment.
"The Attorney General has long urged action to codify Roe v. Wade into state law, and strongly supports the Assembly’s recently passed Reproductive Health Act, which does exactly that," Schneiderman's spokesperson said in a statement. "The Assembly has also passed the Attorney General’s Comprehensive Contraceptive Coverage Act, which would require New York insurance plans to provide free contraceptive coverage. It’s vital that we act to ensure New Yorkers’ reproductive rights are not jeopardized by Donald Trump’s high court nominees and we will work with the Governor and the Legislature on this critically important issue."
Earlier this month, the New York State Assembly passed the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act, which would require insurers in New York to provide copay-free coverage for all FDA-approved contraceptives. It has not passed the Senate.
Tagged
abortion
Cuomo
governor cuomo
roe v. wade
Rebecca Fishbein
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