Thank you to Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, Assemblyman Kevin Cahill and all of our Assemblymembers who passed the Reproductive Health Act (A1748 Glick/S2796 Krueger, Stewart-Cousins)  and the Comprehensive Contraceptive Coverage Act (A1378 Cahill/S3668 Bonacic).  Once again, our Assemblymembers have demonstrated that they understand what’s at stake with an anti-choice Congress and White House that have pledged to repeal the ACA, defund Planned Parenthood, and appoint anti-choice Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

NY Assembly Passes Legislation To Keep Contraception Free After GOP Kills Affordable Care Act

New York - The women legislators in the BPCLC have submitted comments in support of the Obama administration’s proposed amendment of regulations to the Title X Family Planning Program. The amendment would ensure that states provide fair access to family planning services and stop playing politics with women’s health.

States receive the federal funding to distribute to health care providers to ensure that low-income people can access critical services like cancer screenings, contraceptives, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and to reduce maternal mortality. Many states have restricted access to this funding from providers like Planned Parenthood that also provide abortions -- even when these providers are in the best position to deliver the family planning services. As a result, low-income women and people of color suffer the most.

Link to the federal register
NY Times editorial in support of the proposed regulatory change

​New York - State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a legal opinion clarifying that the outdated New York State penal law cannot criminalize abortion in cases when women are guaranteed that right through the Constitution. Read the press release here. Read the full AG opinion here.

New York was a pioneer in women’s health and legalized abortion before Roe v. Wade, but now our law is outdated. The AG’s opinion clarifies that abortions performed after 24 weeks are lawful when the fetus is not viable or when the abortion is necessary to protect the health of the woman, as protected by the Constitution.

Read the NY Times article on the AG opinion. Also, a Jezebel article details the efforts of a woman from New York having to bear the health risk and financial and emotional burden of traveling to Colorado to terminate a wanted pregnancy because the fetus was not viable.

We will not give up the fight to update our state laws to reflect the AG’s opinion and the rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade.

Albany - BPCLC members met today over breakfast to discuss several issues connected to ensuring quality, accessible reproductive health care in New York State. Topics under discussion included the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act, Paid Family Leave, the Supreme Court, and New York legislation that recently went into effect allowing pregnant women to enroll in the New York State Marketplace at any time of year.

Albany - Today the State Assembly passed the Comprehensive Contraceptive Coverage Act (S6013/A8135). The CCCA, co-sponsored by Senator John Bonacic and BPCLC member Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, provides insurance coverage for FDA-approved contraception, improves access to emergency contraceptives, allows for a 12 month supply of birth control, and covers sterilization for men and women.

​BPCLC Co-Chair Senator Liz Krueger released the following statement after the passage of the bill:

"Ensuring that all New Yorkers, regardless of income, have access to contraceptive options is good for our families and a vital step toward women's equality. Lack of coverage and high co-pays prevent many women and men from being able to make their own decisions about starting a family. Contraceptive equity reduces unintended pregnancies, and leads to families that are planned, safe and healthy. I congratulate Assembly Member Cahill and his colleagues for passing this bill today, I thank Senator Bonacic for his leadership, and I encourage my fellow Senators to take swift action and put this bill on the Governor's desk." 

Albany - Today, BPCLC members rallied in the State Capitol for the Family Planning Advocates Day of Action. For their Day of Action, FPA brings together hundreds of supporters to meet with lawmakers and work to increase funding for family planning and unintended pregnancy prevention, advocate for the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act and Paid Family Leave, and to safeguard the health of incarcerated pregnant individuals.

New York – Today, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul was joined by members of the New York State Bipartisan Pro-Choice Legislative Caucus (BPCLC), including State Senators Krueger, Gianaris and Montgomery, and Assemblymembers Gottfried, Kaminsky, Lavine, Rosenthal, Seawright and Simotas, and activists from NARAL, NOW, NYCLU and others, at a rally to show support for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), and oppose any efforts by Congress to cut off funding for PPFA.  BPCLC also released a letter that was sent to members of the New York State Congressional delegation, urging them to oppose any funding cuts.  The full text of the letter can be read below, and is also available here.

“Planned Parenthood provides a valuable service to women across the country and is an integral part of our nation's health care system,” said Lieutenant Governor Hochul. “Just as I stood with them in Congress, defending them against political extremists who orchestrate a smear campaign to achieve their goal of eliminating a woman's right to choose, I proudly stand with Planned Parenthood and defend it so that women's healthcare is not compromised.”

At the rally, supporters recognized the vital services provided by Planned Parenthood to millions of Americans every year, and condemned the ongoing attempts by anti-choice extremists to remove federal funding from PPFA health centers.

"Planned Parenthood has always been on the front lines standing up for women's equality and health and now it our time to stand with them,” said Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Democratic Conference Leader and BPCLC Co-Chair. “The Senate Democrats will continue to fight for women’s rights and health and we will not let Planned Parenthood be unfairly attacked. Together we will build a stronger and fairer state and nation for our daughters and granddaughters.”

“For almost a hundred years, Planned Parenthood has addressed a vital need for women across the country, providing access to a wide array of reproductive healthcare services,” said Senator Krueger, BPCLC Co-Chair.  “In the face of relentless attacks by extremists who want to deny these services to millions of Americans, it is more important than ever that we stand with Planned Parenthood. We must not let anti-choice radicals turn back the clock on women’s reproductive rights. We are not going back in history; we are going to move forward."

"For over 99 years Planned Parenthood has been one of the most trusted health care organizations for women in the country,” said Assemblymember Ellen Jaffee, BPCLC Co-Chair. “The recent release of heavily edited videos is part of a three year smear campaign orchestrated by one of the more extreme anti-abortion groups whose goal is to prevent women from accessing the care they need. Planned Parenthood, a non-profit health care organization, provided 378,692 pap screenings for cervical cancer, detected 87,988 cases of early breast cancer, performed 487,029 breast exams and does more to prevent unintended pregnancies than any other organization in the country. The donation of fetal tissue is not against the law and is often very cathartic for the women who choose to donate.  It is seen by many in the medical and research field as an invaluable part of research for prevention of several diseases. I will continue to support Planned Parenthood as they continue providing the kind of care women can count on."

Last year, nationally, Planned Parenthood provided birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and other services to 2.7 million patients, and sex education to 1.5 million people. More than 6 in 10 women who receive care at a family planning center consider it their primary, or only, source of care. One in five women in America will receive care from a Planned Parenthood provider at some point in their lives.  In 2013, 1,228,700 women in New York were in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies. Planned Parenthood affiliates across the state are critical in teen pregnancy prevention and the health and safety of their patients has always been their top priority.

###

Letter from BPCLC to NYS Congressional Delegation:

Dear New York Congressional Delegation,

We are writing to you as members of the New York State Bipartisan Pro-Choice Legislative Caucus (BPCLC) to oppose any votes to remove federal funding from Planned Parenthood health centers. Such a move would leave millions of women without access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other lifesaving healthcare. The BPCLC is comprised of 86 legislators in both the New York State Senate and Assembly, dedicated to protecting access to quality reproductive health services, safeguarding legal rights to reproductive healthcare in New York State, and providing a voice for state legislators in policy debates at both the state and national level.

As you know, anti-choice extremists have recently launched an attack against Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). To date, two undercover videos have been released, showing PPFA medical staff discussing fetal tissue donation with anti-choice activists posing as representatives from a bio-medical company. These heavily edited videos are part of a smear-campaign aimed at de-funding Planned Parenthood and ending access to abortion by falsely alleging that PPFA is selling human tissue. As was made clear in their response to these attacks, PPFA has offered to help some patients who want to donate fetal tissue for vital medical research, which is entirely legal. PPFA does not receive any financial benefit for this service, but is sometimes reimbursed for costs. As the full, unedited videos show, it is false and despicable to suggest that Planned Parenthood profits from their patients’ decisions to donate fetal tissue. To be clear: there is nothing in these videos that suggests any violation of law.

The New York Times reported that, “the Center for Medical Progress video campaign is a dishonest attempt to make legal, voluntary and potentially lifesaving tissue donations appear nefarious and illegal. Lawmakers responding by promoting their own anti-choice agenda are rewarding deception and putting women’s health and their constitutionally protected rights at risk.” These misleading videos are the latest attack in a coordinated effort to change the course of the debate around reproductive health and advance a radical agenda to ban abortion and defund Planned Parenthood. Anti-choice groups have long pushed to defund Planned Parenthood, even though no federal money is used to provide abortions.

These attacks must not be allowed to succeed. Planned Parenthood is the most trusted women’s health care provider in this country, having delivered high-quality care for nearly 100 years, and it is the nation’s leading provider of reproductive health care and sex education to women, men, and young people. It is also is an important safety net provider for millions of low to middle-income Americans. Giving in to extremists by shutting down Planned Parenthood clinics would cut off 2.7 million people from access to birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and other preventive healthcare services.

As lawmakers, we are called upon to stand up for the rights of our citizens. One in five women in America have turned to Planned Parenthood for high-quality health care at some point in their lives. We must stand with Planned Parenthood to ensure our community members continue to have access to affordable, quality health care from a trusted provider they depend on.

The BPCLC firmly supports Planned Parenthood and urges you to vote against any attacks on them and the critical services they provide.

You may reach the NYS Bipartisan Pro-Choice Caucus at (212) 490-9535.

Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,

Assemblymember Ellen Jaffee
Caucus Co-chair

Senator Liz Krueger
Caucus Co-chair

Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Caucus Co-chair                                                                                    

On Tuesday, June 2nd, Caucus members recognized the work of Rev. Finley Schaef, a pioneering champion of women's reproductive health. Rev. Schaef discussed his groundbreaking work to convene the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion in 1966, and was honored on the floor of the Assembly.