NY Pledges $35M For Abortion Clinic Security, Services

NEW YORK CITY — A new $35 million fund could help further New York's status as a safe harbor for women's abortion access in an America where Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a Tuesday announcement that the fund is largest direct support by a state toward abortion providers.

She said $25 million will go toward expanding capacity and access for patients, especially if an expected influx of women from states with forthcoming abortion bans arrives in New York.

And another $10 million will go toward security grants for New York providers who might find themselves become the targets of anti-abortion extremists, she said.

“The climate is getting more extreme every single day, so it’s only going to get worse as this decision is rendered in the next few weeks, and we need to be ready,” she said. “And we will be ready here in the state of New York.”

Hochul's announcement comes roughly a week after a leaked draft opinion showed the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed abortion rights across the country.

Abortion rights in New York are unlikely to be affected by such a decision, as it effectively leaves the question to individual states — and Empire State lawmakers have enshrined protections within the state's borders.

Hochul, state lawmakers and state Attorney General Letitia James have also committed to other protections, which include potentially an amendment to the state's constitution.

On Monday, James and lawmakers announced they'd push for a new bill that sets aside funds for abortion care not only for New Yorkers who need financial support to seek abortions, but also those who travel from 26 states poised to set abortion bans if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Hochul said the fund she outlined will help provide immediate access and security for patients and providers.

"We are laying down the marker today, we’re saying that we refuse to go backwards," she said.