Governor Andrew Cuomo, citing the threat to Roe v. Wade posed by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, called on New York lawmakers Monday to enshrine abortion protections in new legislation, possibly even through an amendment to the state constitution.
“[Justice Brett] Kavanaugh is going to reverse Roe v. Wade. I have no doubt. Gorsuch is going to reverse Roe v. Wade. I have no doubt,” Cuomo said during a rally at Barnard College held to showcase the Reproductive Health Act, legislation first drafted in 1970 that would guarantee New Yorkers’ right to an abortion.
Cuomo also advocated the passage of the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act, which would require that all health-insurance providers cover the cost of contraception, and said he would not sign the upcoming state budget unless both pieces of legislation are passed.
The recently reelected governor also said he would like to “take things a step further” by amending the state’s constitution to protect “a woman’s right to control her own reproductive health.”
“We’ll pass it next year, we’ll put it on the ballot, we’ll write it into the constitution and we’ll be able to say we have protected women’s rights in a way that no one else has before,” he said.
Cuomo, who was joined on stage by Hillary Clinton, lamented the state of affairs that he believes necessitates legislative and constitutional interventions on behalf of women seeking abortions.
“No sane administration would go near Roe v. Wade,” Cuomo said. “They were right!” he added, referencing those who argued that state laws protecting the right to abortion were obviated by the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. “What they missed is the possibility that we could elect an insane administration. And that’s what we have.”