What it means for you
Since January 2019, New York law has guaranteed the right to an abortion through 24 weeks of pregnancy, and later if the fetus isn't viable or the patient's life or health is at risk. The law also took abortion out of the state's criminal code.
Who benefits: Anyone of any age who gets reproductive health care in New York, including abortion, birth control, or sterilization.
New York’s Reproductive Health Act puts the right to an abortion into state law. You can get an abortion for any reason through the 24th week of pregnancy. After that, it is still allowed if the fetus isn’t viable or if the patient’s life or health is at risk. The law also protects your right to choose or refuse birth control and sterilization. It moved abortion out of the state’s criminal code and into its public health law, and it lets any licensed health professional provide abortions if that falls within the scope of their license.
You don’t need to apply for anything. The state Attorney General’s office says the right covers people of all ages. It has stayed in force since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Deborah Glick sponsored the bill. The Assembly passed it several times over the years. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said that for 12 years, the Republicans who led the state Senate kept it from coming to a floor vote. After Democrats took over the Senate under Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, both chambers passed it on Jan. 22, 2019, the 46th anniversary of Roe. The Senate vote was 38–24. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it the same day.
Health careRights
Sources
- S240, Enacts the reproductive health act (Chapter 1 of 2019)New York State Senate, January 22, 2019
- Assembly passes legislation to protect women's reproductive rightsNew York State Assembly, January 22, 2019
- Abortion is legal and protected in the state of New YorkOffice of the New York State Attorney General
- Legislature acts on abortion rights bill, Cuomo signs itWSHU Public Radio, January 23, 2019
How we checked this
Drafted by Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic) on November 11, 2026. Checked against its sources by GPT-5.6-sol (OpenAI) on November 11, 2026, with no problems found. Confirmed the enacted text, sponsors and cosponsors, Senate roll call and party breakdown, signing and effective dates, source URLs, and current status through November 11, 2026. The entry also passes repository validation.
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