Abortion is legal and protected in the state of New York

New York made abortion legal in 1970 – three years before Roe v. Wade. In 2019, New York passed the Reproductive Health Act to protect access to reproductive rights throughout the state and make the right to abortion found in Roe v. Wade part of state law. Even after Roe was overturned in 2022, New York ensures that all pregnant people (including, minors, transgender men and nonbinary people) have the right to a safe and legal abortion.

Abortion hotline

212-899-5567

Access to abortion

People of all ages have the absolute right to abortion through the 24th week of pregnancy. 

After 24 weeks, abortion is permitted if your medical provider decides your fetus is not viable or your life, physical health, or mental health is at risk. 

If you are a minor in New York, you do not need your parents’ permission to get birth control, abortion, prenatal care, or other reproductive health services. 

Abortion services in New York are confidential

Health care providers generally cannot share medical records or information about reproductive health care services — including abortion, birth control, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases — with your partner, parents, guardians, or anyone else without your permission.

Your employer cannot access personal information about your or your partner’s reproductive-health decisions. 

New York requires insurance coverage of abortion

New York requires Medicaid and all state-regulated private health insurance plans to cover abortions. 

Any state-regulated private health insurance plan that offers maternity coverage must provide coverage for abortion without cost sharing.

New York protects against discrimination based on reproductive health care decisions

Your employer, or an employer considering hiring you, cannot discriminate against you based on your reproductive health decisions. 

In New York, no one can threaten, hurt, or intimidate you, or interfere with your decision because you have an abortion, plan to have an abortion, or use any other reproductive health service.

Beware of fake “abortion clinics” 

Sometimes called crisis pregnancy centers or limited-service pregnancy centers, these are not abortion clinics. These are places that try to prevent people from having abortions — sometimes even from using contraception. They typically:

•  run ads asking if you are “pregnant, scared, and need help” 
•  make abortion sound very dangerous or inaccurately claim medication abortion can be “reversed”
•  do not offer counseling or referral for abortion, even if they claim to 
•  are often located near or look like real abortion clinics

Most of these facilities are not health care providers and are not subject to the same privacy laws as medical facilities. Many are connected with organizations that oppose abortion, contraception, and education about reproductive health. 

Before doing anything at a facility or sharing any personal information, ask whether abortion services are available. If staff don’t directly answer or give you a vague answer, you may be at a fake abortion facility.

If you accidentally go to one of these facilities, the staff will try to talk you out of having an abortion. You are free to leave. You can find a real abortion provider through the resources listed in this brochure. 

If you are offered “Abortion Pill Reversal,” be advised that this unproven “treatment” has not been accepted by any major medical association, demonstrated safe or effective through clinical trials, or approved by the FDA.