New York's Attorney General, along with 24 national law firms, and eight reproductive rights organizations are joining forces to launch a hotline that will provide legal guidance, resources and information about legal rights to abortions.
Attorney General Letitia James' office announced the hotline's launch on Tuesday. The announcement comes days after the Supreme Court of the United States ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“In the face of this devastating and destructive decision, we are doing everything in our power to ensure people have access to safe abortions,” James said. “New York has made clear that we will continue to be a safe haven for all, and that includes providing legal support to help navigate the complex, daunting, and hostile abortion laws. This network of the nation’s top law firms, advocacy groups, and attorneys in my office will work around the clock to offer this free support because every single person in this country should have the right to make their own decisions about their own bodies.”
Following Friday’s Court decision, abortion is now illegal or mostly banned in at least nine states, according to James' office. Additionally, abortion bans in two more states will take effect in the coming days; four more states will enact their bans 30 days after the decision and six more states are expected to ban abortion in the coming weeks, while the future of abortion remains uncertain in nine more states.
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Besides banning abortions, many of these states have also passed laws to criminalize patients, doctors, providers, and average citizens who help others access an abortion, according to the attorney general.
Roe v. Wade
States moved to shore up protections ahead of the widely expected reversal, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who signed sweeping legislation protecting abortion rights earlier this month.
The free hotline -- part of James' Pro Bono Task Force convened -- will be staffed by train attorneys and will be available to anyone seeking legal information and advice on abortion in the state, including patients seeking to travel to New York to obtain an abortion.
“Our firm has continuously fought to protect a woman’s right to choose since Roe was decided in 1973,” Ben Karp, chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, which co-leads the task force. “In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs overturning Roe, women seeking access to abortions have an urgent need for information about their legal rights. Today, we are leveraging our resources and our historic commitment to reproductive choice for all by partnering with the New York attorney general to establish a reproductive rights task force and hotline to respond to the flood of inquiries from New Yorkers and others out of state seeking access to safe and legal abortions in New York.”
Meanwhile, Nancy Northup, the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which also co-leads the task force, shared similar sentiments, saying the "innovative effort" will "provide much-needed clarity and information for New Yorkers as well as those from other states who are seeking abortion care."
The 212-899-5567 hotline can be accessed at any time and will be available in 12 languages, the attorney general's office said.
