New York: Dems ramp up legislation to expand abortion rights/protections

via City & State NY:

Monday marks the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the now-overturned Supreme Court decision that created the right to an abortion. The 51st may not be an anniversary you would typically mark, but it does fall on an election year. Although New York has long had abortion rights codified in state law, state lawmakers will celebrate the occasion by approving additional measures to expand access to reproductive care as Democrats again hope that the issue will drive voters to the polls in November in ways it hasn’t in the past. 

New York already has some of the strongest abortion protections in the country, but state lawmakers annually see an opportunity to expand on reproductive rights.

...The state Senate will approve bills that would create a grant program to help low-income New Yorkers access abortion care, allow pregnant people to enroll in the state health insurance exchange at any time without penalty and expand access to doulas. The Assembly will pass several of the same bills on Monday, though not the legislation to create the abortion access grant program, which died in the chamber last year. In addition to abortion rights, legislation also seeks to improve birth outcomes and combat maternal and infant mortality.

...Stewart-Cousins also highlighted the state-level Equal Rights Amendment New Yorkers will vote on in November that would enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution, among other civil rights protections.

Good.