Newly-elected State Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte has voted in favor of a woman’s right to choose, as the New York State Assembly last week passed stand-alone abortion expansion legislation (A.6221 – Glick/S.4432 – Stewart-Cousins) that would require the state to “not deny a woman’s right to obtain abortion.”
The bill would align State law with existing federal law in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).
“Today, with the leadership of Speaker Carl Heastie and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, my colleagues and I stood proudly on the right side of history today as we voted to protect women’s right to choose,” said Bichotte, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn, in affirming her vote.
“Women deserve to make our own decisions about our own bodies and our own health and this bill affirms that right,” added the first Haitian American to be represented in the State’s Legislature. “It’s time for the State Senate to take action for women’s equality and pass this bill.”
The Bill amends Section 1, Article 41 of the public health law to maintain that the state shall not deny a woman’s right to obtain an abortion as established by the Supreme Court in the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973.
The legislation ensures a woman’s right to choose abortion within 24 weeks of conception or when necessary to protect a woman’s life or health.
A previous law failed to specifically guarantee a woman’s right to abortion when her life was not at risk, Bichotte said.
