MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

TRUTH behind claim Democrats want New Yorkers to pay for abortions for migrants, out-of-staters

The Reproductive Freedom and Equity Program would reportedly cover medical costs and traveling expenses, and 'childcare, lodging, lost wages and more '

At a time when the US Supreme Court seems  ready to strike down Roe v Wade, New York Democrats want taxpayers to fund abortions for out-of-staters, including women who are illegal migrants. This would involve a state program costing tens of millions of dollars per year, reports claim.

“That’s the goal of this bill – to ensure that everyone can get the care that they need no matter their [immigration] status or their socio-economic conditions, insurance status, all that,” Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas (D-Queens), told New York Post of the legislation she is sponsoring with state Sen. Cordell Cleare (D-Harlem).

READ MORE

Is abortion a constitutional right? Elizabeth Warren trolled for making claim

'This is a human issue': Whoopi Goldberg outraged after SCOTUS anti-abortion leak

The Reproductive Freedom and Equity Program would reportedly cover medical costs and traveling expenses, and “childcare, lodging, lost wages and more”. This will be done with the help of non profits getting public money through the annual budget process. Both out-of-state residents and those living in New York would be eligible for the program. 

González-Rojas has claimed that the program would need approximately $50 million in annual funding to meet the expected demand. Some legislators, however, believe there are better ways to spend the amount. We have so many of our own citizens that have critical health care needs that we should be focused on. For instance, we are witnessing an explosion of mental health issues, especially in our young people,” Assemblyman John Salka (R-Cooperstown) said, adding, "It’s outrageous. The taxpayers of the state of New York should not be subsidizing the performing of abortions for out-of-state women."

There could be demand for a number of abortions in the coming months in states like Texas, where some migrants face new abortion restrictions after being subjected to violence such as rape while crossing the southern border with Mexico. “I’ve seen the repercussions of people in the Rio Grande Valley, I’ve been down there, they’ve crossed borders to get care literally … in a Roe world, they still have so many barriers to care that they’d have to seek abortion care elsewhere,” González-Rojas said of the influx of migrants at the Southern Border. 

According to New York Post, the chairs of the health committees in both legislative chambers, including state Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx) and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), are in support of the bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer even expressed his support in a recent tweet. "In New York, our state has enshrined abortion rights. And we’re pushing to reinforce it with the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Fund in our state put forward by @VoteJGR. It'd give providers and non-profits funding to increase access to abortion care for all," he wrote. 

“Establishing this new fund will support individuals’ increased access to abortion care in key circumstances where insurance coverage cannot be used by a provider or there is an inability for the patient to pay,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a press release. This bill could end up being part of a package of abortion-related bills that could pass both chambers before legislators adjourn for the year on June 2. 

The package could include a proposed amendment to the state Constitution to protect the right to abortion. Another proposed law could protect abortion providers in New York from lawsuits that have been filed in states such as Texas. “We will certainly be standing up for women’s health and choice and look forward to New York once again leading the way on this crucial issue,” a spokesman for state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said in a statement.