Queens pols tout abortion protections in state budget
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New York State officials, including Queens State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Attorney General Letitia James, and Queens Assemblymember Nily Rozic, celebrated budget provisions in Long Island City Thursday which increase privacy for women seeking abortions. Photo from Assemblymember Nily Rozic/Twitter
By Ryan Schwach
Queens officials and advocates rallied in Long Island City on Thursday, celebrating the inclusion of abortion access protections in the final state budget.
HMH Part U, a proposal from Queens State Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Queens Assemblymember Nily Rozic was included in the state budget and contains provisions for protecting abortion access in New York following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The proposal included provisions which prohibit electronic communications companies from working with out-of-state warrants related to reproductive health care when it would reveal the identity of a New Yorker. Another provision prohibits geofencing around health care facilities and another prohibits law enforcement from obtaining electronic health information without a warrant.
“I am thrilled that the final budget included Assemblymember Rozic’s and my proposal to protect abortion access and safeguard our health care privacy,” said Gonzalez. “Someone coming to New York to receive needed reproductive health care should never have to worry that their information will be used to criminalize them in their home state.”
Since the U.S Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in July 2022, New York State officials have pushed to ensure that abortion remains accessible in the Empire State, and that out-of-staters have access, as well.
“This legislation provides critical privacy protections so that everyone can access the abortion care that they need without the fear that their information will be used against them,” said Gonzalez.
However, the officials say that there are still vulnerabilities, particularly when the privacy of patients are concerned.
“As a young woman, reproductive health care is my health care,” said Rozic. “And like tens of millions of Americans, I’ve used apps to help manage my reproductive health. It’s unconscionable that information could be sold to the highest bidder or weaponized against us.”
HMH U’s provisions make it harder for that information to become accessible to private companies and law enforcement, who could sell that data or use it in trials against women who came to New York to seek an abortion.
The officials said that the sheer amount of digital information in health care leads to risks, since third parties can buy and sell consumer health data which poses a particular threat to people traveling discreetly from other states where abortion freedoms are limited.
“Everyone should have the ability to access the abortion care they need without additional fear or concern about the protection of their personal reproductive health data,” Rozic said.
Gonzalez and Rozic were joined by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who applauded the provisions.
“With ever increasing efforts to strip away abortion protections and bodily autonomy, it is vital that New York state step up to protect these basic rights,” she said. “As attorney general, I have worked to safeguard abortion access, ensured companies provide accurate information and access to safe and legal medications to New Yorkers, and have fought back against efforts in other states to rollback Americans’ rights.”
The celebration of the provision was held outside a Planned Parenthood in LIC, and Wendy Stark, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, also applauded the budget provision.
“Our reproductive health care decisions are for ourselves and our health care providers to know,” she said. “Infringing on and sharing private patient data and information is a deep affront to our bodily autonomy and safety. We applaud the inclusion of this important measure in the state budget, and all efforts to protect patients' reproductive health data.”
“Today, we are one step closer to ensuring that New York is the abortion haven our communities deserve,” she added.
