Albany, NY - August 7, 2018 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today launched a public awareness campaign to connect women to comprehensive, confidential and medically accurate reproductive health care services. The campaign will include subway ads and information translated into multiple languages to ensure women have appropriate access to all reproductive health options, including family planning, prenatal care and abortion.
These actions are in direct response to widespread reports of organizations known as Crisis Pregnancy Centers or CPCs misrepresenting themselves as health centers to dissuade those seeking abortion from going through with that choice. These reports show that CPCs often use false and misleading advertising and offer free services to attract women into their offices, where they then allegedly misinform and mislead those who seek pregnancy-related information. These centers' actions may interfere with New Yorkers' constitutionally protected rights to seek reproductive health care and may endanger them by preventing them from receiving medically accurate information.
"While the federal government wages war on women's reproductive rights, New York will fight back to protect women's access to comprehensive, safe and affordable health care," Governor Cuomo said. "In New York, we refuse to let President Trump and Washington take us backwards and jeopardize the rights of New Yorkers. We are launching this public awareness campaign to combat the insidious spread of misleading, medically inaccurate information about reproductive health and to ensure all New York women know the options they are legally entitled to."
The public awareness campaign includes subway ads to guide New Yorkers to a website with detailed, medically accurate information on pregnancy, abortion, contraception and what to look for in a reproductive health center. The information will be distributed across the state in multiple languages.
Reproductive health services are available from providers and clinics. For assistance to find an appropriate provider the campaign also directs to a list of health care programs near them that provide comprehensive, confidential family planning and reproductive health care services to all women, men, and adolescents regardless of ability to pay or immigration status. If a client does not have insurance coverage, or cannot afford their co-pay or deductible, a sliding fee scale based on the client's income is used to determine if a fee will be charged. Providers can also enroll women in affordable health insurance if needed.
This campaign builds on the Governor's record of fighting for access to reproductive health services, including abortion. Governor Cuomo previously directed that the Department of Financial Services to mandate that health insurers provide coverage for all types of contraceptive drugs and devices without co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles, regardless of the future of the Affordable Care Act; provide abortion services that are medically necessary without co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles (unless the plan is a high deductible plan); and provide full and accurate information about coverage.
Following the federal government's decision to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the Governor vowed to take action to defend New York's progressive values against the extreme conservative agenda of the Trump Administration, including the fight to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into state law. For years, Governor Cuomo has pushed to codify the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision and subsequent rulings into state law to secure women's access to reproductive health options. The Governor is again calling for the passage of legislation to protect the right of women to make personal health care decisions and to ensure that health care professionals can provide these crucial services without fear of criminal penalty. The Assembly has passed legislation to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade for the last six years, including during the 2018 Legislative Session.
"Reproductive health care is a right and should be accessible, affordable, and safe for all women," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "With women's reproductive rights under attack by the Trump administration, in New York we're stepping up to ensure women's health care is protected. With this public awareness campaign, we're increasing awareness of the family care and health services available to women in New York State. At the same time, the Governor and I are continuing to call on the State Senate to stand up for women and codify Roe v. Wade to protect a woman's right to choose."