NYC Mayor Eric Adams signs six bills aimed at protecting and expanding abortion access

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) on Friday signed six bills – dubbed the NYC Abortion Rights Act – aimed at protecting and expanding abortion access.

After the Supreme Court’s June ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, many states have moved to either restrict or protect abortion.

The six bills signed by Adams seek to promote the city as one that holds abortion to be a reproductive right. Adams made this clear, saying in a statement on Friday: “Abortion is health care, and, with the signing of these six bills into law, the nation will know that New York City will always defend the right for all people to access an abortion.”

The legislation will, in part:

• Require all clinics operated by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide abortion pills at no cost;
• Require the Health Department conduct annual reports on the number of births and abortions provided in the city, for both city residents and those from out-of-state;
• Prohibit city resources from being used to detain people for performing or aiding with abortion, and forbids city agencies from cooperating with out-of-state entities regarding abortion procedures conducted in New York;
• Permit civil lawsuits against entities interfering with reproductive or endocrine medical care;
• Create a public education program to inform the public about the protections available to people and providers accessing abortion facilities;
• Require the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to inform the public about pregnancy centers that deceptively advertise or mislead the public when providing reproductive health services.

Adams said at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn where he signed the bills: “We’re not leaving our sisters behind. Safe, legal abortions are cornerstones of public health, and in New York City, they always will be. We will always support those coming here to access these rights.” He added: “If your states do not respect your rights, New Yorkers will.”