NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York State has launched a hotline to "provide legal guidance and resources to patients, healthcare providers, and supporters seeking information about their legal rights to access and provide abortions," Attorney General Letitia James' office announced Tuesday.
The hotline is a partnership between James’ office along with 24 national law firms and eight reproductive rights organizations and is part of James’ new Pro Bono Task Force on Reproductive Health.
“In the face of this devastating and destructive decision, we are doing everything in our power to ensure people have access to safe abortions,” said James. “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.”
The hotline, available in the 12 most common languages spoken in the state, will be open to anyone seeking legal information and legal advice about abortions in New York including patients seeking to travel to the state to get an abortion, healthcare providers, and people and organizations providing material support.
“Our firm has continuously fought to protect a woman’s right to choose since Roe was decided in 1973,” said Ben Karp, chairman of the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. “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.”
The announcement comes after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1970 case of Roe v. Wade, which protected access to abortions, last week.
The hotline will be staffed by trained attorneys and while it will be a resource for patients seeking abortions, it will also be available for doctors, providers, and other people who need legal guidance about how the new laws may apply to them. The hotline is not, however, intended to provide medical advice or help people find an abortion clinic.
“New York Attorney General Letitia James has stepped forward with a crucial resource that will help cut through the legal chaos left in the wake of the Supreme Court’s precedent-breaking and ruinous Dobbs decision,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO, Center for Reproductive Rights. “Attorney General James has assembled a legal dream team, from the private and nonprofit bar, who will provide much-needed clarity and information for New Yorkers, as well as those from other states who are seeking abortion care in New York, about how this decision impacts them. The Center for Reproductive Rights is proud to be part of this innovative effort, which will be a model for other states across the nation as they too look for ways to address this national public health emergency.”
Call (212) 899-5567 to access the hotline for legal information about abortions.
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