At a celebratory press conference, New York Mayor Eric Adams—flanked by pro-choice government officials, medical professionals, and Planned Parenthood—announced the city’s plan to make abortion available through a telehealth service this.
Adams is adamant about continuing to provide abortion access to all New Yorkers following last year’s Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Today, I’m proud to announce another first for any city government: Access to abortion care is now available through telehealth visits at NYC Health + Hospitals sites from the comfort of home,” said he. “In New York City, we will never stop fighting for a woman’s right to choose the care that is right for them, and we will never stop working to make abortion care more accessible to all New Yorkers. York.”
Roland Warren, President and CEO of Care Net, said the city’s new program is denying New Yorkers access to important data and options.
“Women and men faced with pregnancy decisions deserve to have accurate information about all of their options presented to them. But New York City’s earnest commitment to promoting Abortion, as reflected in their proud announcement of on-demand telehealth abortion available in their city, means that countless women and men will not get the balanced information they need to make fully informed decisions. choice,” he said.
Since Roe was repealed in 2022, Mayor Adams launched several pro-choice initiatives, including Abortion Access Hub to refer confidentially to abortion care callers and free drug abortion in sexual health clinics.
With the new telehealth program, New York City women seeking an abortion can schedule a virtual appointment to speak with a licensed healthcare professional via video or phone, on-demand, for assessment and counseling. Women who are “clinically eligible and prescribed” up to 10 weeks into their pregnancy will receive a medication abortion kit at their New York City address within days. NYC Health + Hospitals serves patients regardless of their ability to pay.
A recent article by Bridget Sielicki on LiveAction.org criticized the NYC program and warned about the dangers associated with this type of virtual consultation and the abortion pill in general.
“One of the biggest dangers of telemedicine abortion distribution is that abortionists cannot verify that a woman is real is worthy. The abortion pill is currently approved for use at 10 weeks of pregnancy – but without a human test, there is no way to verify gestational age,” Sielicki wrote. “Without the test, the doctor also cannot determine whether the woman has an extrauterine pregnancy or any other contraindication for the pill…”
In press conference led by Mayor Adams, Wendy Stark, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, called the program “a historic win for abortion access in New York City.”
“I applaud NYC Health + Hospitals for this important step forward in telehealth abortion services that allow New Yorkers to access critical abortion care from the comfort of their own homes, without the worry of about barriers to care such as transportation and significant time away from work,” she said.
Meanwhile, Roland Warren lamented the city’s radical approach to crisis pregnancy. Care Net’s network of over 1,200 crisis pregnancy centers offers compassion, hope, and help to women and men facing pregnancy decisions and a wide range of free support services in cities and towns across the United States.
“It’s clear that the abortion industry and pro-choice activists have had an enormous influence on which options New Yorkers are exposed to, and sadly, the only option appears to be abortion,” said Roland Warren.
