At a time in the country when abortion care is under fire legally, New York City and State leaders are expanding their advocacy for and access to reproductive services.
The U.S. Supreme Court shocked the world in 2022 when it overturned the decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, effectively ending the federal right to legal abortions nationwide. However, at least 12 states had protections in place for abortion care and 10 others have expanded their services.
In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams signed legislation for no-cost medication abortion at sexual health clinics in 2022, and NYC Health + Hospitals (NYCHH), which operates the city’s public hospitals and clinics, launched a telehealth abortion access service called Virtual ExpressCare last year.
The telehealth program allows patients to speak with healthcare professionals (virtually or by phone) for an assessment of their menstrual and health history, receive counseling, access medication abortion kits if eligible, and follow up with a doctor for an ultrasound if necessary. NYCHH Executive Director Erfan Karim said about 1,000 patients have accessed the telehealth program so far, which has mailed out over 250 medication abortion kits (only available in New York) since its launch last October. He estimated that the city handles about 3,000 to 3,500 in-person abortions and consultations a year.
“We always advocate from the state [and] federal level, and others to continue to have programs like ExpressCare that [do] not restrict clinical services, and instead [enhance them] for greater safety of our population,” said Karim at a reproductive health roundtable.
On January 30, Adams along with six other localities from across the country, filed an amicus brief, or petitioned the court, urging the Supreme Court to protect access to mifepristone, defined by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a “drug that blocks a hormone called progesterone that is needed for a pregnancy to continue.”
“We are proud to lead this coalition in taking action in full support of protecting women’s access to medication abortions,” said Adams in a statement. “Not only are the courts denying women the right to control their own bodies through this lower court ruling, but they are also endangering our public healthcare system by forcing it to divert resources to alternate options and procedures—undoubtedly impacting hospitals’ ability to provide care across the board.”
Mifepristone is usually used in combination with misoprostol to end a pregnancy up to 10 weeks in, and was approved as safe back in September 2000. Restriction to the drug was raised by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA case, and would have an impact on states that continue to provide medication abortions and miscarriage management.
Mifepristone is also the drug currently used in the city’s medication abortions.
“Make no mistake, the goal of that is truly to make abortion inaccessible,” said Dr. Marisa Nadas, an obstetrician/gynecologist (ob/gyn) based in the Bronx and director of Women’s Options in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Jacobi Medical Center. She said that according to the last two decades of data, any risks or complications associated with mifepristone are profoundly low. She applauded the city and state’s legal moves to protect abortion rights.
In December 2023, President Joe Biden wanted the Supreme Court to review the opinion in the FDA case against mifepristone. New York State Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James has led a multi-state coalition of 24 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of the FDA. They argued that the restrictions on the drug were “medically unnecessary” and could have consequences for low-income and underserved communities.
“Every American deserves access to safe and thoroughly tested medication abortion options,” said James. “The Fifth Circuit’s decision to reinstate unwarranted restrictions on the drug mifepristone was misguided and cannot be allowed to stand. Millions of Americans, especially those in underserved, rural, and low-income communities, rely on access to medication abortion, and they are counting on the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the lower court decision.”
The Supreme Court is likely to hear arguments this year and then reach a decision about mifepristone by June, said James’s office.
Virtual ExpressCare is available 7 days a week, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Patients can access telehealth abortion care online or by calling 718-360-8981. Patients can also receive referrals by calling 877-NYC-AHUB (877-692-2482).
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member who writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.