New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her government would help Texas women who want an abortion, but can’t get one because of the state’s new pro-life law, to travel to New York, which she called an abortion “safe harbor.”
“Women in Texas need to know we will help you find a way to New York, and right now we’re looking intensely to find what resources we can bring to the table to help you have safe transport here and let you know there are providers who will assist you in this time of your need,” she told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on Wednesday night.
Hochul claimed the Texas law, which bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, denies women “basic human rights.”
She also blasted the Supreme Court for not striking the law down when abortionists challenged it, calling the court’s decision “disgusting.”
“We saw this possibly coming but actually the reality has hit us hard,” she said.
The Supreme Court declined to strike down the Texas law for procedural reasons, saying the plaintiffs had failed to prove they had legal standing to challenge the law since it had not yet been enforced.
The new Democrat governor said the only solution is to elect pro-choice women and “wipe out” male politicians like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“It’s so appalling what is going on in these Republican states and their people are suffering, and I can’t stand that any longer. We have to take a strong position against this and call it out whatever we see it,” she said.
Hochul has also directed New York’s state agencies to create a public information campaign promoting abortion to combat Texas’s pro-life “travesty.”
“I guarantee I did not know I was pregnant with my first child at six weeks. I actually went on a whitewater rafting trip, it turns out, at three months because I didn’t know I was pregnant,” she said last week.
New York’s abortion laws are some of the most lenient in the country, allowing women to abort their children after 24-weeks and permitting a wide array of medical professionals — not just licensed physicians — to perform the procedure.
