Res. No. 197

Resolution declaring New York City a safe city for all those in need of abortion-related care

By Council Members Cabán, Velázquez, the Public Advocate (Mr. Williams) and Council Members Hudson, Brannan, Hanif, Brewer, Joseph, Nurse, Ung, Louis, The Speaker (Council Member Adams), Restler, Won, Avilés, Farías, Ossé, De La Rosa, Dinowitz, Narcisse, Marte, Krishnan, Ayala, Sanchez, Lee Powers and Richardson Jordan

Whereas, According to Amnesty International, an abortion is a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy; and

Whereas, Abortion is a basic healthcare need for millions of people who can become pregnant, and, worldwide, an estimated 1 in 4 pregnancies end in an abortion every year; and

Whereas, Regardless of whether abortion is legal or not, people still require and regularly access abortion services; and

Whereas, According to the Guttmacher Institute, a United States-based reproductive health non-profit, the abortion rate is 37 per 1,000 people in countries that prohibit abortion altogether or allow it only in instances to save a person’s life, and 34 per 1,000 people in countries that broadly allow for abortion, a difference that is not statistically significant; and

Whereas, According to the World Health Organization, lack of access to safe, timely, affordable, and respectful abortion care poses a risk to not only the physical, but also the mental and social, well-being of people who can become pregnant; and

Whereas, Worldwide, 45 percent of all abortions are unsafe; and

Whereas, According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in recent years many states in the United States have passed laws restricting access to abortion, and the Trump administration had made a number of changes to federal reproductive health policy, including major changes to the federal Title X family planning program; and

Whereas, On Monday, May 2, 2022, the news outlet Politico published what appears to be an initial draft majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito and reportedly circulated inside the court, suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court intends to strike down Roe v. Wade, which established a person’s constitutional right to abortion; and

Whereas, Since the leak, advocates and policymakers have reignited their efforts to either protect or restrict abortion access; and

Whereas, According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released in 2020, a majority of the public do not want to see the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade; and

Whereas, While most Republicans (57 percent) would like to see Roe overturned, larger majorities of Democrats (91 percent) and independents (70 percent) do not want it overturned; and

Whereas, Most people (67 percent) think state regulations on abortion providers or people seeking abortions are intended to make access to abortion more difficult as opposed “to protecting the health and safety of women” (32 percent); and

Whereas, According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, approximately six in 10 U.S. adults (61 percent) believe abortion should be legal in “all or most cases”; and

Whereas, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), along with other medical organizations, opposes interference with the patient-clinician relationship and affirm the importance of this relationship in the provision of high-quality medical care; and

Whereas, ACOG affirms that individuals require access to safe, legal abortion, and that adolescents, people of color, those living in rural areas, those with low incomes, and incarcerated people can face disproportionate effects of restrictions on abortion access; and

Whereas, Despite public opinion and the growing need to increase access to high quality and equitable health care, including care to combat the maternal health crisis, many states and the Supreme Court have nonetheless indicated the threat of continued abortion restrictions; and

Whereas, One can look at Texas, where abortion is effectively outlawed by prohibiting abortion after six weeks, to see how restricted access to abortion can impact a person’s care; and

Whereas, National Public Radio (NPR) reported that individuals seeking abortions in Texas have been put in potentially life-threatening situations and have needed to seek care outside of the state, which is unattainable for many individuals due to financial and logistical reasons; and

Whereas, In many states, abortion care is hard to access due to lack of health care infrastructure, education, and other factors; and

Whereas, As we continue to see the rights of women, girls, and people who can become pregnant restricted, New York City publicly declares that it is a safe haven for all those needing abortion-related care; and

Whereas, New York City and State are committed to providing care and support to those needing abortion-related care, and are acting swiftly to draft and pass abortion-related legislation furthering the protections of those seeking abortions both within the state and from other parts of the country; and

Whereas, Abortion is health care, and access to health care is a fundamental human right; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York declares New York City a safe city for all those in need of abortion-related care.

EB/CP

LS 9095/9101/9110

05.27.2022