Reproductive Health Act Petition

We, the residents of the great state of New York, call on you, our elected Legislative Representatives, to pass the Reproductive Health Act.

We support the Reproductive Health Act because we support a New York that ensures every woman has the right to make the decision that is best for herself, her family and her future.

The Reproductive Health Act will codify New York’s longstanding support of reproductive freedom, while ensuring that New York State is prepared if the right to choose is threatened by a weakening of Roe or further federal encroachments.

The current law must be changed because under New York State’s present law, family planning and abortion are still treated as crimes in our statute books. Doctors should not have to fear prosecution because of the type of medicine they practice.

The current law lacks protections if a woman’s health is endangered.

The Reproductive Health Act takes abortion out of the penal code, and regulates it as a matter of public health and medical practice.

The Reproductive Health Act protects the fundamental right of a woman and her doctor – not politicians – to make private medical decisions.

The Reproductive Health Act guarantees a woman’s right to control her reproductive health; ensures that a woman will be able to have an abortion if her health is endangered; treats the regulation of abortion as an issue of public health and medical practice, rather than as a potential crime; and guarantees everyone the right to use or refuse contraception.

We stand with the majority of New Yorkers, who overwhelmingly support a woman’s right to decide when and whether to have a child. Seven states have already passed laws like the Reproductive Health Act. New York needs to demonstrate that women’s health matters by passing this bill.

We call on the New York State Legislature to pass the Reproductive Health Act Now.