TAKE ACTION
URGENT ACTION: Ensure all New Yorkers have access to abortion care
We are now in the final week of budget negotiations! Tell New York State Senate and Assembly Leadership to include funding to establish the New York State Abortion Clinical Training Program to ensure all New Yorkers have access to health care providers adequately trained in comprehensive abortion care and related reproductive health services.
Call Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins (518-455-2585)
Call script: Hi, my name is {Name} and I am a resident of {city/town/zip code}. I would like to thank Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins for including the NYS Abortion Clinical Training Program Act (bill number: S1438A), and $5 million in funding in the Senate One-House Budget. I urge the Majority Leader to include the NYS Abortion Clinical Training Program Act and $10 million in funding in the final budget. This is important because {choose 2 of the talking points below!}
Call Assembly Speaker Heastie (518-455-3791)
Call script: Hi, my name is {Name} and I am a resident of {city/town/zip code}. I would like to thank Speaker Heastie for including the NYS Abortion Clinical Training Program Act (bill number: A2439), and $2 million in funding in the Assembly One-House Budget. I urge the Speaker to include the NYS Abortion Clinical Training Program Act and $10 million in funding in the final budget. This is important because {choose 2 of the talking points below!}
Talking points
There is uneven access to abortion care in New York, particularly in rural areas, which may require individuals to travel hours, or even out of state, to access the abortion care they need. The NYS Abortion Clinical Training Program would help to address abortion provider deserts and shortages throughout the State by prioritizing training for providers in areas where there are abortion provider deserts and shortages.
There is an increasing shortage of OB-GYNs in the country, and we cannot rely on OB-GYNs alone to provide abortion care. The NYS Abortion Clinical Training Program would prioritize training for emergency medicine physicians and other medical specialties to help increase access to abortion care and related reproductive health care services throughout the state.
Thanks to the NYS Reproductive Health Act, Advanced Practice Clinicians (APCs) have been authorized to provide abortion care within their scope of practice since 2019; however, abortion care is not included in APC education curriculum and there is no structured training available. The NYS Abortion Clinical Training Program would provide this training.
Three of New York's 10 regions do not have known clinics that can provide abortion care beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy. Outside of New York City, there are five regions that have zero or only one known abortion clinic that can provide care beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy. The NYS Abortion Clinical Training Program would provide advanced training for physicians who seek to expand the abortion services they provide beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Act now to safeguard our health info
Make one call TODAY to prevent Trump and his extremist allies from using personal health data to punish New Yorkers who provide, seek, or support abortion or gender-affirming care!
The NY Health Information Privacy Act will ensure that New Yorkers—not bad actors or government entities—have control over our intimate health info. The legislature passed this bill in January. Now Governor Hochul is threatening a veto!
Call Governor Hochul (518-474-8390)
Call script: Hi, my name is {Name} and I am a resident of {city/town/zip code}. I am calling to urge Governor Hochul to sign the New York Health Information Privacy Act, S.929/A.2141, which will give New Yorkers control over their electronic health information. Now more than ever, New Yorkers must be able to get the care they need without fear. They should also be able to search for information about their health, and use apps and devices to track and maintain their health without fearing their private data could fall into the wrong hands. {This is important to me because....} Thank you.
Join BKForge’s legislative task force
We meet virtually the first Monday of each month at 7:30 pm. Email contactbkforge@gmail.com to join!
Join us to advocate for BKForge’s legislative and budget priorities, and to plan actions such as tabling, call relays and scripts, public forums and teach-ins, and memos of support. New task force members are always welcome, whether you’re new to legislative advocacy or an old pro!
▼ 2025 legislative priorities ▼
Buffer Zone Bill
Bill numbers: A9835A / S9668 (2023-2024 bill numbers)
We urge the legislature to pass this bill, which would require that there be a 100-foot buffer zone around the entrance of every reproductive health care facility offering abortion in New York State. This bill would expand upon the 15-foot buffer zone mandated by New York City law, ensuring that patients statewide are able to safely and comfortably access abortion care, free from aggressive protestors. Any harassment within the buffer zone—including obstruction of the clinic premises, or following patients or health care providers—would be punishable under this bill.
NYS Abortion Clinical Training Program
(formerly known as Reproductive Health Services Training and Education)
Two years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, there are now more states that restrict access to abortion care than states that protect access. This has severe and far-reaching implications for not only obtaining abortion care and receiving treatment for pregnancy complications, but also for ensuring that health care practitioners are trained to provide essential reproductive health care services. The number of practitioners in New York who provide abortion care or train other providers will only continue to dwindle if the State does not invest in training. We urge the legislature and Governor Hochul to establish a reproductive health services training and education grant program and include $10 million in funding in the state budget for this important program, which would ensure that health care providers receive adequate training in abortion care and related reproductive health services.
There are areas throughout NY State that have an acute shortage of health care practitioners who are trained in performing abortion care early and/or later in pregnancy. New Yorkers who live in these areas are unable to access care in their communities, particularly in rural areas, and may need to travel hours to access abortion services. The training program would help to mitigate these abortion provider shortages by prioritizing practitioners for training who would provide care in parts of the state that have such shortages.
Training would be provided to health care practitioners who are authorized to perform abortion in the State of New York: Advanced Practice Clinicians – Physician Assistants, Licensed Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners; licensed Physicians such as Family Medicine Physicians, Primary Care Physicians, Emergency Medicine Physicians, and Pediatricians; and residents or interns who are employed by a hospital or enrolled in an accredited graduate medical program. The training program would also issue grants to address practical support needs of eligible training recipients and to remove barriers to essential training and promote a more diverse and inclusive health care workforce.
Health Information System Segmentation
We urge the legislature to pass this bill requiring electronic health record companies to create the ability to segment electronic health records and suppress sensitive health information at a patient’s direction. This would enable patients to reap the benefits of electronic health records without risking that information about their abortion, gender-affirming care, or other sensitive health care will be shared against their will and used against them.
Electronic health records improve the quality of health care by ensuring that every provider who sees a patient has access to their medical history. But, electronic health records also make a patient’s entire medical record—including records about sensitive health care—available to all providers with access to the system. And, by default, the information in a patient’s electronic health record can be shared across state lines automatically. As other states increasingly criminalize abortion care and gender affirming care, this automatic sharing can put New York patients who travel or move to ban states, as well as the New York providers who care for them, at risk of criminalization.
Healthy and Safe Students Act
(formerly known as Comprehensive Sex Ed)
New York currently has no statewide learning standard for comprehensive sexuality education, which means students across the state are receiving inadequate, biased, or misleading sex ed—or none at all. Comprehensive, evidence-based, inclusive sex ed has been strongly associated with reductions in STIs, unintended pregnancies, sexual and gender-based violence, and bullying of LGBTQIA+ students, as well as with improvements in academic performance. By passing this bill, New York would ensure that our young people receive age-appropriate, necessary skills to foster healthy relationships and that our educators are equipped with the professional development and tools needed to guide their students. All K-12 students in the state should have access to comprehensive sex ed led by teachers who are adequately trained and knowledgeable. We urge immediate passage of this bill to mandate comprehensive sex ed statewide.
Maternal Health, Dignity, and Consent Act
We urge the legislature to pass the Maternal Health, Dignity, and Consent Act, which would require informed consent to drug test pregnant people and newborns—a critical component of supporting healthy pregnancies, infants, and families. Giving pregnant and postpartum people the information they need to make informed decisions about drug testing and screening is vital to preserving the patient-provider relationship. When patient-provider trust is broken, maternal-fetal health is at greater risk because pregnant people can be afraid to access prenatal care, with potentially devastating consequences.
The bill was drafted with the input of service providers and impacted people who have been forced to submit to drug testing without informed consent. This practice can lead to forced family separation; in some cases, newborns are removed from parents before they have even been discharged from the hospital—even though research shows that newborns have better health outcomes if they remain with their parents. This testing disproportionately harms Black and brown communities, who may be racially profiled by providers. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics both recommend the practice of obtaining specific and informed consent prior to administering a biological drug test.
To learn more, visit informedconsentny.com and find resources from NYCLU, the Bronx Defenders, Pregnancy Justice, Drug Policy Alliance, and others in support of the bill.
Compassion and Reproductive Equity (CARE) Act
We call on the legislature to pass this bill, which would amend current correction law and create a standard of care for incarcerated pregnant and postnatal individuals and their babies. Currently, the rights of pregnant individuals are compromised by the policies and practices of correctional institutions and facilities in New York State. The CARE Act would address the health disparities faced by incarcerated pregnant individuals and guarantee pre and postnatal care for both the birthing parent and the baby.
The current standard of care is vague and limited in its scope—failing the population of pre and postnatal incarcerated individuals in New York State. The CARE Act, above all else, would ensure and protect the human rights of incarcerated pregnant individuals, incarcerated birthing parents of children, and their children.
Learn more from New Hour’s resources and use their form to sign on as an individual supporter.
Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act
Bill numbers: A8833 / S8375 (2023-2024 bill numbers)
In 2021-2022, the US saw the first annual increase in infant mortality rates in 20 years, and at a higher rate among Black women (source: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System). Currently, women of color—particularly Black women—exhibit a maternal mortality rate of 3-4 times that of Caucasian women. Evidence demonstrates that provider bias holds more responsibility for maternal illness and death in pregnancy care, as well as child outcomes, than other factors including access to health care, socioeconomic status, and physical health among Black women. However, providers in New York involved in this care are not presently required to undergo any specific implicit bias training or testing, nor does there exist a system to track incidents related to bias or stereotyping.
We urge the legislature to pass the Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act, which would amend state public health law to implement an implicit bias training and follow-up program for all health care providers involved in perinatal care. It would also require hospitals to provide written information regarding patient rights, including how to seek legal counsel in case of pregnancy-related injury or death, and require information related to pregnancy to be included on death certificates if known.
Coverage for All
We urge the legislature to pass this bill, which would expand health insurance access for New Yorkers who are excluded from eligibility for coverage because of their immigration status. This bill would direct the Commissioner of Health to seek approval from the federal government for the use of surplus reserves in the basic health plan trust fund, which supports the New York State Essential Plan, to support individuals covered under the 1332 state innovation waiver program. The goal of the state legislation is to improve access to care by expanding eligibility for certain publicly subsidized programs for individuals who currently face barriers to health care coverage due to their immigration status.
Learn more from the #Coverage4All campaign and sign their petition in support of the bill.
Extension of Gender-Affirming Care Protections
We urge the legislature to pass this bill to expand protections for clinicians and families of patients undergoing gender affirming care living in and outside of New York State. This bill would allow New York courts to hear cases where a family with a transgender child has moved or fled to New York; would protect the health information of those seeking gender-affirming care; and would prohibit the removal of children from their guardians on the basis of gender-affirming care. This bill would also protect New York-based providers by extending the existing Shield Law’s licensure protections to therapists and other providers of gender-affirming care. Additionally, this bill would prevent the extradition of gender-affirming care providers, seekers, guardians, and helpers. At a time when other states are increasingly banning and restricting gender-affirming care, these protections are critical in preserving the rights and well-being of transgender youth.
Reforms to Paid Medical Leave program, aka Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI)
BKForge applauds the State Senate for passing this bill. We now call on the Assembly to do the same without delay.
New York’s current paid medical leave is woefully inadequate. This bill would introduce key updates so that New York’s paid family and medical leave program would better meet the needs of New Yorkers.
Under the current system, New York workers dealing with a serious health condition—be it a complicated pregnancy or birth, a recent cancer diagnosis, an-off-the-job-injury, or another condition requiring time off work—receive a meager $170 dollars a week. This unacceptable amount has been unchanged since 1989! While it may have been reasonable then, no one can live on $170 per week in New York in 2025. What’s more, New Yorkers could lose their job and health insurance coverage while out on leave. New Yorkers work hard and deserve a reliable, affordable medical leave program.
This important bill would raise the wage replacement rate from $170 dollars a week to 67% percent of a worker’s weekly pay (capped at $1,177.32 per week) on par with NY’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) program. It would also provide workers with job protection and continued health insurance while out on leave, and allow leave to be used intermittently when needed—for example, to take doctor ordered rest days during a complicated pregnancy, a benefit that is already available under NY’s PFL program but which can not be used for self-care.
Learn more from A Better Balance and take action to support the bill:
Voluntary Contribution Fund for Abortion Access
Bill numbers: A1806
S758 (2021-2022 bill number)
We call on the legislature to establish an Abortion Access Fund and permit taxpayers to voluntarily contribute to it on their state income tax return form. The money would be distributed by the Department of Health to nonprofit organizations that provide logistical and financial support to individuals who cannot afford abortion care. It is critical that the legislature take this step to support more equitable abortion access. Abortion is prohibitively expensive for many, with the average cost ranging from $523 at 10 weeks to $3,000 at 24 weeks gestation. Passing this bill would establish a mechanism for New Yorkers to help low-income people with these costs.
There are already more than 20 voluntary contribution funds on the New York State tax form. Examples include a fund to support the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid; the Love Your Library fund; and the Return a Gift to Wildlife fund that benefits the state’s fish, wildlife, and marine resources. The proposed legislation would create an Abortion Access Fund as an additional option for taxpayers.
Health Information Privacy Act
BKForge applauds the legislature for prioritizing the Health Information Privacy Act immediately in the 2025 session and passing this bill on 1/22/25. We now urge the Governor to sign this bill into law right away. In addition, we ask the legislature to act with similar urgency to pass Health Information System Segmentation (A2613 / S1633) to further safeguard New Yorkers’ sensitive health information.
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, President Trump and his coalition have expanded their aim to destroy abortion access, erase transgender and LGBTQ protections, and weaponize federal law enforcement and surveillance against those who provide or seek reproductive and gender-affirming care. This important bill will allow for stronger privacy protections for New Yorkers against the improper use of their electronic health data.
The Health Information Privacy Act will expand arrangements in FY2024 Health and Mental Hygiene (HMH) legislation that aims to protect New Yorkers’ electronic health data. Currently, HMH legislation limits when digital service providers in New York can respond to out-of-state warrants for reproductive health info, stops New York law enforcement from purchasing electronic health data, and requires local law enforcement to obtain a warrant if they want to obtain electronic health data. This bill will additionally prohibit the sale of this data to out-of-state buyers and require affirmative, written consent of patients. This bill will also require patients to be informed about their health information rights.