New Funding Announced for Abortion Health Care Services

On the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States, Governor Kathy Hochul announced more than $24 million in State grants made to organizations in New York State to fund abortion health care services under the New York State Abortion Access Program. The Program provides financial support to health care providers across New York State ensuring that patients can access safe and supportive abortion services within their communities.

“Abortion is health care and I will always fight to protect reproductive rights for all New Yorkers and anyone receiving health care in New York,” Governor Hochul said. “As we face anti-choice extremists in leadership who aim to roll back these hard fought for rights, we will always fight to ensure access to reproductive care is protected here in New York and ensure that this state remains a safe harbor for those in need of abortion care.”

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “This funding is critical for clinics across the state to continue offering abortion care and to expand the range of reproductive health services they provide. As other states strip away protections, New York’s commitment to reproductive freedom has never been more important. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Hochul, we will continue ensuring abortion care is affordable, available, and accessible to anyone who needs it.”

Since taking office Governor Hochul has taken significant steps to expand access to reproductive health care in New York and nationwide. Key actions include:

• Dedicating hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to support abortion providers and reproductive healthcare statewide, with additional funding in the FY26 Enacted Budget to help providers adapt to current challenges. This includes additional funding for medication abortions and for capital investments that will enable renovations, equipment upgrades, planning and construction to help facilities modernize and secure their operations.
• Codifying abortion as protected emergency medical care in New York State and requiring hospitals to provide this care, reinforcing access to abortion services when medically necessary.
• The creation of a standing order that authorized pharmacists to dispense three types of hormonal contraception medication without a prescription, including the Oral hormonal pill, Hormonal vaginal ring and Hormonal contraceptive patches

Earlier this year, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to strengthen New York’s shield law that protects abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution, allowing medical providers to include only the address of the dispensing health care practice on the prescription label instead of the name of the provider or practice and requires pharmacies to abide by a prescriber's request to remove their name from the prescription label. This legislation built on a law signed by Governor Hochul in January, days after Louisiana officials attempted to extradite a New York-based doctor who prescribed FDA-approved abortion medication through telehealth.

Governor Hochul has also signed additional pieces of legislation to bolster reproductive rights across the State, which include:

In November 2024, voters approved Proposition One, an amendment to the New York Constitution that protects abortion rights and access to reproductive health care. The approved amendment establishes constitutional protections against discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex — including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes and reproductive health care and autonomy. These protections are in addition to explicit protections against racial and religious discrimination that were already included in New York’s Constitution. The amendment went into effect on January 1, 2025.

Abortion access remains safe and accessible for New Yorkers and for those coming from outside of New York State. Medication abortion and in-clinic abortion is also protected in New York. Abortions are legal up to and including 24 weeks of pregnancy. After 24 weeks, individuals can still get an abortion if their health or pregnancy is at risk. Learn more about abortion in New York State by visiting the Know Your Rights website.

Find a nearby abortion provider here.