It will no doubt come as a shock for many to learn that New York’s new Reproductive Health Act — which has caused outrage to erupt even among those who are normally silent on abortion — is, essentially, Roe v. Wade. The Live Action video below even shows New York Governor Andrew Cuomo admitting that New York’s law “codifies [Roe v. Wade].” Roe v. Wade and its companion decision, Doe v. Bolton, have since 1973 allowed abortion not just in the first trimester as many assume, but through birth.
While States have been allowed to regulate or restrict abortion after the first trimester (only if such restrictions don’t pose an “undue burden” on a woman — a highly subjective term from Planned Parenthood v. Casey), New York has chosen to align itself with the broad language of Roe and Doe, which means that abortions can happen for fetal abnormality or even the mother’s “health,” even in the third trimester.
While Roe itself legalized abortion nationwide in the U.S., Doe v. Bolton’s language ensured that abortion could be done for virtually any reason. Its text reads, “… We agree with the District Court, 319 F. Supp., at 1058, that the medical judgment may be exercised in the light of all factors – physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age – relevant to the wellbeing of the patient. All these factors may relate to health…..”
New York’s law, however, is even more extreme than this. Susan B. Anthony List’s VP of Public Policy, Billy Valentine, accurately pointed out the extremity of New York’s law in a Facebook post, noting that it…
*Allows for abortions up until the moment of birth. Prior to the new law, abortions were allowed up until 24 weeks. That restriction is gone.
*Allows non-doctors to perform abortions. The law could also result in forcing health professionals to participate in abortions even if they object.
*Removes protections for children born alive after failed abortions. These children will no longer be protected — instead the tiny boy or girl will be left at the mercy of the abortionist who just minutes earlier was trying to kill him or her. Think this doesn’t happen? Google Kermit Gosnell or my friends Melissa Ohden and Jill Stanek.
Valentine says that prior to this past election, Republicans controlled the State Senate, but now, Democrats have “their biggest majority since the early 1900s, paving the way for this legislation to be passed.” Valentine also notes, “Long gone are the days of ‘SAFE, legal, and RARE.’ More African American babies in New York City are aborted than carried to term — and that was before this law was passed.”
READ: Roe v. Wade legalized abortion on demand… and Americans don’t support that
Valentine correctly notes that advancing abortion is part of the Democratic Party’s agenda:
There is a federal version of this legislation that would wipe out ALL pro-life laws off the books across the country. Every state would look like New York does now. It has a huge number of co-sponsors. And just last week, House Democrats rallied with the new president of Planned Parenthood to kick off efforts to repeal the Hyde Amendment to force everyone to pay for abortions. That law alone has saved over 2 million lives.
As previously reported by Live Action News, in a recent press conference, Democrats announced their plans to attempt to do away with as many pro-life measures as possible — with the president of Planned Parenthood joining them:
… Democrats including members of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus were joined by Planned Parenthood President Leana Wen, speaking about their intentions to overturn the Hyde Amendment. “We are going to end the Hyde Amendment,” Diana DeGette, co-chair of the caucus, said. “We intend to fight aggressively to reverse the terrible decisions made by the Trump administration, and frankly previous administrations, going back 40 years.”
In addition to attempting to overturn the Hyde Amendment, DeGette said she also plans to fight the Trump administration’s plan to make changes to Title X funding requirements, and other pro-life measures. “We intend to reverse all of that. Not in the first month, but soon,” she vowed.
Planned Parenthood has just released its 2017-18 annual report, revealing that its annual abortions increased by more than 11,000 from 2016-17 (bringing the total number of preborn children the organization killed that year to more than 332,000), its legitimate health services (including contraception services and cancer screenings) have decreased yet again, while its taxpayer funding has increased.
Read NY’s Reproductive Health Act here.
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