Protects individuals who provide or receive legally protected health activity from criminal or civil liability or professional sanctions imposed by…

• Democratic54

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why the sponsor says this is needed

New York has long recognized that the rights to bodily autonomy and self-determination are fundamental to a person's equality. In November 2024, New Yorkers affirmed this principle when they enshrined equal rights protections for reproductive health care and autonomy as well as gender identity into the state constitution. Yet, access to reproductive health care and gender-affirming care-including care provided, sought, and supported in New York and by New Yorkers-is under unprecedented attack. As of January 2025, 19 states have banned or severely restricted abortion access, and at least 38 state laws have passed banning or restricting gender-affirming care. Many of these laws threaten severe criminal sentences for providers and helpers who support people in accessing care. Some states have even attempted to explicitly criminal- ize support for young people travelling to access abortion care across state lines and to separate transgender children from parents who support their access to health care. The Trump administration has already put its thumb on the scale, aiming to penalize or even eliminate gender-affirming care nationwide. The cumulative effect of these laws is to chill the provision of and access to care across the country, includ- ing in states where it remains lawful health care, like New York. New York-based providers and helpers, as well as those seeking care in New York from other states, fear the threat of investigation, intimidation, ' and potentially even criminal prosecution by hostile states around the country and the federal government. It is vital that New York do more to protect access to reproductive health care and gender-affirming care-not only as a matter of equality, but also as a public health imperative. Research shows that gender-af- firming care can be lifesaving, especially for young people, and can improve mental health and reduce the debilitating effects of gender dysphoria. We have also seen the devastating impacts of abortion bans around the country, with pregnant people dying preventable deaths when they were denied necessary miscarriage care. We cannot allow the inhu- mane policy choices of other states to restrict essential health care provided, supported, and sought in New York or by New Yorkers. This legislation builds on laws New York enacted in 2022 and 2023 to protect access to abortion and gender-affirming care in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. While those laws took steps to protect New York from other states' efforts to investigate and punish reproductive health care and gender affirming care, they must be updated to better respond to the new threats and tactics that hostile states have deployed in recent years and which we expect will only escalate in the years to come.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.