FPA in the News: 2007

Legislative Gazette

Spitzer vows to protect New York women’s abortion rights

By: Ariana Cohn

4.2.07

Regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court may decide in the future regarding a woman’s right to choose, Gov. Eliot Spitzer declared last week that during his term he would not only protect New Yorkers’ abortion rights, but expand them.

During his speech, at the 30th annual Family Planning Advocates conference, the governor said he hoped what he described as “the most conservative U.S. Supreme Court” in modern history would uphold the provisions of Roe v. Wade. “But if they do not, we will move forward,” Spitzer said.

The 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case struck down federal and state anti-abortion laws. Three years earlier, New York had become the first state in the nation to pass legislation making abortions legal.

Spitzer also thanked FPA for challenging elected officials to make decisions based on civil liberties. “You have forced us into that moment over and over again and the good news is — you have won. You have won in this state and you have won across the nation and we will not let that victory disappear,” he said.

The governor was joined at the event by Cynthia Nixon, Emmy-award winning television star best known for her role as Miranda Hobbes on HBO’s “Sex and the City;” Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards; New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli; Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D,WF-Manhattan; and other pro-choice advocates.

During the event, Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, was honored with the Margaret Sanger Award last Monday for her contributions toward women’s reproductive health. Sanger dedicated most of her life to sharing information about birth control.

Similarly, Krueger has spent much of her time advocating for women’s rights to plan their families. Since becoming a senator, Krueger has worked to pass the Women’s Health and Wellness Act, a bill that would require insurers to cover contraception. “Age appropriate sex education and easy access to birth control for women and men protects us all,” she said upon accepting the award.

Nixon praised Spitzer for immediately expanding access to Plan B, also known as emergency contraception, after taking office. Spitzer was also commended by Silver for being the first governor in a decade to attend the conference and for his promise to enact laws that would promote comprehensive sex education. He also said that for as long as he is speaker of the Assembly, New York will remain a pro-choice state.

Spitzer showed support for another key issue on FPA’s 2007 legislative agenda: the Healthy Teens Act, a bill passed in the Assembly last Tuesday by a vote of 27 to 11 that would increase funding for teaching comprehensive sex education in schools, as opposed to abstinence-only education. “We do ourselves a disservice when we participate in the avoidance behavior that suggests that if we ignore an issue it will go away — it simply will not,” said the governor.