New York State Attorney General’s Pro Bono Task Force for Reproductive Health
Reproductive Rights: Abortion is Legal in New York
New York State Attorney General's Pro Bono Task Force for Reproductive Health
New York Attorney General Letitia James, in partnership with 24 national law firms and 8 nonprofits, has launched a Pro Bono Task Force and hotline to help New Yorkers and people visiting New York with legal information and resources about accessing abortion.
The Task Force operates a hotline providing “know your rights," legal information, and referrals to:
- New Yorkers seeking abortions;
- Patients seeking to travel to New York to obtain an abortion;
- People and organizations providing material support to these patients; and
- New York healthcare providers.
In addition, the Task Force will develop legal resources for patients, providers, and supporters; provide guidance on organizational policies to support access to reproductive healthcare; conduct research and participate in litigation and other guidance on organizational policies to support access to reproductive healthcare; conduct research and participate in litigation and other efforts to protect and improve access to reproductive healthcare.
Abortion Hotline
(212) 899-5567
The hotline is free and available in 12 languages.
You will be asked to leave a message with your phone number and an attorney will call you back. You do not need to leave your name and you can provide specific callback instructions.
How do I reach the hotline?
To reach the hotline call (212) 899-5567 at any time.
What can I call about?
The hotline is intended to provide “know your rights”, legal information, and referrals to New Yorkers seeking an abortion; patients seeking abortions in New York; people and organizations providing material support to these patients (such as money, transportation, or lodging); and New York health care providers.
Do I have to give my name?
No. You only need to leave a phone number where we can reach you.
What if I have special instructions (for example, I don't want an attorney to leave a message for me or I can only answer a call during certain hours)?
You can leave special instructions on the message. For example, you can ask that an attorney call you back between certain hours or that they do not leave a message.
What if I don't speak English?
The hotline will provide translation into 12 languages.
- Arabic
- Bengali
- Chinese
- French
- Haitian Creole
- Italian
- Korean
- Polish
- Russian
- Spanish
- Urdu
- Yiddish
Abortion Resources
The Task Force has collected the following materials, which address common questions but should not be relied
upon as legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General or the Task Force. While the OAG endeavors to
keep these materials up to
date, please review the dates on these materials to ensure they are current.
Find an abortion provider or get a
prescription for medication abortion
Find an abortion provider:
- Abortionfinder.org provides information on abortion providers along with information about abortion and different types of procedures.
- ineedana.com provides information on abortion providers.
- Plancpills.org provides information on how to access at-home abortion pill options online.
- ReproLegalHelpline provides legal advice, information, and referrals for people under 18 in any state who cannot involve a parent and need to get a judge's order to get an abortion. In New York, minors do not need to involve a parent or get a judge's order to get an abortion.
Find financial support
- National Network of Abortion Funds: note that a patient often needs to make an appointment first before applying for financial support.
Learn about online privacy and digital
security
- Digital Defense Fund
- Digital Defense Fund's Guide to Keeping Your Abortion Private & Secure
- Electronic Frontier Foundation's Digital Safety Tips: For People Seeking an Abortion
- Electronic Frontier Foundation's Digital Safety Tips: For Providers of Abortion Support
- Electronic Frontier Foundation's Surveillance Self-Defense: Tips, Tools and How-Tos for Safer Online Communications
Learn about abortion access in New York
Abortion is legal in New York state. Abortion has been legal here since 1970, before Roe v. Wade. The Attorney General's recent advisory provides information about how New York protects the right to an abortion.
In June 2022, New York acted swiftly to preserve the right to abortion and increase protections for patients and healthcare providers in New York state.
The links below will take you to the full text of the bill.
- S9077A (Krueger) / A10372A (Lavine via Rules) - Provides certain legal protections for abortion service providers including protection from extradition, arrest, and legal proceedings in other states relating to abortions legally performed in New York state.
- S470 (Hoylman) / A5499 (Glick) - Authorizes the Commissioner of Health to conduct a study and issue a report examining the unmet health and resource needs facing pregnant women in New York and the impact of limited service pregnancy centers.
- A9718B (L. Rosenthal) / S9080B (Hinchey) - Prohibits medical malpractice insurance companies from taking any adverse action against a reproductive health care provider who provides legal reproductive health care.
- S9039A (Biaggi) / A10094A (Burdick) - Establishes a cause of action for unlawful interference with protected rights.
- A9687B (L. Rosenthal) / S9079B (Kaplan) - Prohibits professional misconduct charges against licensed medical professionals for providing abortion and reproductive health services to patients who reside in states where such services are illegal.
- S9384A (Cleare) / A9818A (Paulin) - Includes abortion providers and patients of abortion providers in the address confidentiality program.
Find information on state-level abortion
restrictions
Please note the state of the law is changing very quickly. Please review the date updated to make sure information is current.
- Planned Parenthood's Abortion Access Tracker
- Center for Reproductive Rights's What If Roe Fell?
- NY Times tracker
Find assistance and information regarding
legal action relating to pregnancy outcomes (including abortion)
Abortion is legal in New York state. However, we recognize that patients, providers, and supporters may face legal consequences in other states for pregnancy outcomes, including abortion, miscarriages, and stillbirths.
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) "I Need Help" Page: provides legal advice, assistance, and referrals for people facing state action related to pregnancy or pregnancy outcomes. This includes: an investigation or charges for pregnancy and drug use, an abortion, or a pregnancy loss; a forced medical intervention during birth; and a postpartum "child welfare" case.
- ReproLegalHelpline provides confidential legal advice, legal information, and referrals to lawyers for people considering self-managed abortion (which means ending one's own pregnancy without a medical provider, including with abortion pills) or facing legal consequences for self-managing an abortion in any state.
- Find answers to frequently asked questions about self-managed abortion.
- Repro Legal Defense Fund covers bail and funds litigation costs for people who are investigated, arrested, or prosecuted for self-managed abortion in any state.
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) Resources List: A list of referrals and resources for pregnant people who have concerns related to employment, child welfare, drugs and substance use, healthcare, access to services in jails and prisons, homelessness, or a range of other issues.
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW): Confronting Pregnancy Criminalization: A Practical Guide for Healthcare Providers, Lawyers, Medical Examiners, Child Welfare Workers, and Policymakers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about self-managed abortion.
Find information regarding people's rights
during labor and birth
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) Birth Rights Guide: A Resource for Everyday People to Defend Rights During Labor and Birth.
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW): Derechos de Nacimiento: Un Recurso Para Que la Gente Común Defienda los Derechos Humanos Durante el Trabajo de Parto y el Nacimiento.
Find resources for companies seeking to
provide reproductive health benefits
- Pro Repro's guide for employers.
Special Thanks
Attorney General James is grateful to the following firms and nonprofits for their partnership on the Task Force:
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
- Center for Reproductive Rights
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
- Debevoise & Plimpton
- Fenwick & West LLP
- Foley Hoag LLP
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
- If/When/How
- Lowenstein Sandler LLP
- Milbank LLP
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
- Morrison & Foerster LLP
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women
- National Institute of Reproductive Health
- New York Civil Liberties Union
- O'Melveny & Myers
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
- Proskauer Rose LLP
- Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP
- Shearman & Sterling LLP
- Ropes & Gray LLP
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
- Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
- Weil, Gotshal, & Manges LLP
- Winston & Strawn LLP
New York Attorney General Letitia James, in partnership with 24 national law firms and 8 nonprofits, has launched a Pro Bono Task Force and hotline to help New Yorkers and people visiting New York with legal information and resources about accessing abortion.
The Task Force operates a hotline providing “know your rights," legal information, and referrals to:
- New Yorkers seeking abortions;
- Patients seeking to travel to New York to obtain an abortion;
- People and organizations providing material support to these patients; and
- New York healthcare providers.
In addition, the Task Force will develop legal resources for patients, providers, and supporters; provide guidance on organizational policies to support access to reproductive healthcare; conduct research and participate in litigation and other guidance on organizational policies to support access to reproductive healthcare; conduct research and participate in litigation and other efforts to protect and improve access to reproductive healthcare.
Abortion Hotline
(212) 899-5567
The hotline is free and available in 12 languages.
You will be asked to leave a message with your phone number and an attorney will call you back. You do not need to leave your name and you can provide specific callback instructions.
How do I reach the hotline?
To reach the hotline call (212) 899-5567 at any time.
What can I call about?
The hotline is intended to provide “know your rights”, legal information, and referrals to New Yorkers seeking an abortion; patients seeking abortions in New York; people and organizations providing material support to these patients (such as money, transportation, or lodging); and New York health care providers.
Do I have to give my name?
No. You only need to leave a phone number where we can reach you.
What if I have special instructions (for example, I don't want an attorney to leave a message for me or I can only answer a call during certain hours)?
You can leave special instructions on the message. For example, you can ask that an attorney call you back between certain hours or that they do not leave a message.
What if I don't speak English?
The hotline will provide translation into 12 languages.
- Arabic
- Bengali
- Chinese
- French
- Haitian Creole
- Italian
- Korean
- Polish
- Russian
- Spanish
- Urdu
- Yiddish
Abortion Resources
The Task Force has collected the following materials, which address common questions but should not be relied upon as legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General or the Task Force. While the OAG endeavors to keep these materials up to date, please review the dates on these materials to ensure they are current.
Find an abortion provider or get a prescription for medication abortion
Find an abortion provider:
- Abortionfinder.org provides information on abortion providers along with information about abortion and different types of procedures.
- ineedana.com provides information on abortion providers.
- Plancpills.org provides information on how to access at-home abortion pill options online.
- ReproLegalHelpline provides legal advice, information, and referrals for people under 18 in any state who cannot involve a parent and need to get a judge's order to get an abortion. In New York, minors do not need to involve a parent or get a judge's order to get an abortion.
Find financial support
- National Network of Abortion Funds: note that a patient often needs to make an appointment first before applying for financial support.
Learn about online privacy and digital security
- Digital Defense Fund
- Digital Defense Fund's Guide to Keeping Your Abortion Private & Secure
- Electronic Frontier Foundation's Digital Safety Tips: For People Seeking an Abortion
- Electronic Frontier Foundation's Digital Safety Tips: For Providers of Abortion Support
- Electronic Frontier Foundation's Surveillance Self-Defense: Tips, Tools and How-Tos for Safer Online Communications
Learn about abortion access in New York
Abortion is legal in New York state. Abortion has been legal here since 1970, before Roe v. Wade. The Attorney General's recent advisory provides information about how New York protects the right to an abortion.
In June 2022, New York acted swiftly to preserve the right to abortion and increase protections for patients and healthcare providers in New York state.
The links below will take you to the full text of the bill.
- S9077A (Krueger) / A10372A (Lavine via Rules) - Provides certain legal protections for abortion service providers including protection from extradition, arrest, and legal proceedings in other states relating to abortions legally performed in New York state.
- S470 (Hoylman) / A5499 (Glick) - Authorizes the Commissioner of Health to conduct a study and issue a report examining the unmet health and resource needs facing pregnant women in New York and the impact of limited service pregnancy centers.
- A9718B (L. Rosenthal) / S9080B (Hinchey) - Prohibits medical malpractice insurance companies from taking any adverse action against a reproductive health care provider who provides legal reproductive health care.
- S9039A (Biaggi) / A10094A (Burdick) - Establishes a cause of action for unlawful interference with protected rights.
- A9687B (L. Rosenthal) / S9079B (Kaplan) - Prohibits professional misconduct charges against licensed medical professionals for providing abortion and reproductive health services to patients who reside in states where such services are illegal.
- S9384A (Cleare) / A9818A (Paulin) - Includes abortion providers and patients of abortion providers in the address confidentiality program.
Find information on state-level abortion restrictions
Please note the state of the law is changing very quickly. Please review the date updated to make sure information is current.
- Planned Parenthood's Abortion Access Tracker
- Center for Reproductive Rights's What If Roe Fell?
- NY Times tracker
Find assistance and information regarding legal action relating to pregnancy outcomes (including abortion)
Abortion is legal in New York state. However, we recognize that patients, providers, and supporters may face legal consequences in other states for pregnancy outcomes, including abortion, miscarriages, and stillbirths.
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) "I Need Help" Page: provides legal advice, assistance, and referrals for people facing state action related to pregnancy or pregnancy outcomes. This includes: an investigation or charges for pregnancy and drug use, an abortion, or a pregnancy loss; a forced medical intervention during birth; and a postpartum "child welfare" case.
- ReproLegalHelpline provides confidential legal advice, legal information, and referrals to lawyers for people considering self-managed abortion (which means ending one's own pregnancy without a medical provider, including with abortion pills) or facing legal consequences for self-managing an abortion in any state.
- Find answers to frequently asked questions about self-managed abortion.
- Repro Legal Defense Fund covers bail and funds litigation costs for people who are investigated, arrested, or prosecuted for self-managed abortion in any state.
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) Resources List: A list of referrals and resources for pregnant people who have concerns related to employment, child welfare, drugs and substance use, healthcare, access to services in jails and prisons, homelessness, or a range of other issues.
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW): Confronting Pregnancy Criminalization: A Practical Guide for Healthcare Providers, Lawyers, Medical Examiners, Child Welfare Workers, and Policymakers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about self-managed abortion.
Find information regarding people's rights during labor and birth
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) Birth Rights Guide: A Resource for Everyday People to Defend Rights During Labor and Birth.
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW): Derechos de Nacimiento: Un Recurso Para Que la Gente Común Defienda los Derechos Humanos Durante el Trabajo de Parto y el Nacimiento.
Find resources for companies seeking to provide reproductive health benefits
- Pro Repro's guide for employers.
Special Thanks
Attorney General James is grateful to the following firms and nonprofits for their partnership on the Task Force:
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
- Center for Reproductive Rights
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
- Debevoise & Plimpton
- Fenwick & West LLP
- Foley Hoag LLP
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
- If/When/How
- Lowenstein Sandler LLP
- Milbank LLP
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
- Morrison & Foerster LLP
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women
- National Institute of Reproductive Health
- New York Civil Liberties Union
- O'Melveny & Myers
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
- Proskauer Rose LLP
- Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP
- Shearman & Sterling LLP
- Ropes & Gray LLP
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
- Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
- Weil, Gotshal, & Manges LLP
- Winston & Strawn LLP