New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reacted to the Politico report that the U.S. Supreme Court has voted to overturn the landmark abortion rights decision Roe v. Wade, saying New York will help women from states where the procedure is outlawed.
Hochul, saying she is “horrified” by the leaked draft opinion, says “for the sake of women across the country, this should not be the Supreme Court's final opinion when it comes to abortion rights.”
Hochul, who became a grandmother over the weekend, refuses to let her new granddaughter “have to fight for …rights that should be guaranteed.”
In 2019, New York codified into state law the rights granted in Roe v Wade, so abortion rights in the state would be unaffected by the draft opinion, were it to be issued as a final decision.
Hochul says women from other states that have so called 'trigger laws', which would outlaw abortion if the court over turns Roe, will be welcomed “with open arms” in New York, where they can receive access to care.
She vows that “New York will always be a place where abortion rights are protected and where abortion is safe and accessible.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart- Cousins, the first woman to hold that post, said in a statement that she is “extremely troubled” by the preliminary opinion.
Stewart-Cousins says New York will remain a “destination state for any and all seeking abortion care.” She urged Congress to act quickly to codify the rights in Roe into federal law.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also released a statement. saying the leaked draft majority opinion "reveals that the Supreme Court's right-wing majority is poised to destroy the fundamental human and reproductive rights of millions of women, willfully disregarding public opinion and court precedent."
She urged the right to abortion be enshrined into federal law and that Democrats "enact strong pro-choice legislation" at the state level.
“And with this fundamental right in jeopardy, it is incumbent upon states like New York, where abortion is safe and accessible, to open our doors to those seeking care. We must refuse to back down or move backwards—the lives and futures of millions of Americans depend on us acting now,” Gillibrand said.
