Family Planning Organization

Praises 2 Women’s Health Laws

ONEONTA – Family Planning of South Central New York applauds the state Legislature’s passage today of both the Reproductive Health Act and the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act, according to a press release.

Both bills were passed today by the state Assembly and Senate – on the 46th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling – and signed into law today by Governor Cuomo.

These two pieces of legislation safeguard access to abortion care and contraception throughout the state, shielding New York residents from the dangerous effects of ongoing federal efforts to undermine reproductive rights, the Oneonta-based organization said.

“With a White House actively working to tear apart the fabric that makes up our nation’s vital family planning safety net, and a new anti-Roe majority now seated on the U.S. Supreme Court, it was critical New York’s lawmakers took this action to protect the health and rights of our state’s residents,” Debra Marcus, Family Planning’s chief executive officer, was quoted as saying.

The Reproductive Health Act puts into state law the right to choose abortion care as recognized in Roe v. Wade, protects health care providers who perform abortions from criminal prosecution, and regulates abortion as a public health, not a criminal, matter.

“Abortion care is health care, not a crime,” Marcus said. “The RHA affirms that reproductive freedom is a fundamental component of equality and privacy.”

The Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act requires health insurance policies to cover all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs and devices with no co-pay, allows for a patient to access a year’s supply of contraception at one time, and makes it easier for New Yorkers to use insurance to cover emergency contraception by allowing pharmacists to dispense it directly – similar to flu shots and the shingles vaccine.

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