Hillary Clinton and Andrew Cuomo Campaign for Bill Allowing Abortions Up to Birth

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jan 7, 2019   |   7:44PM   |   Albany, New York

Hillary Clinton and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed for a radical pro-abortion bill Monday that would legalize abortion through all nine months of pregnancy in the state.

Sharing a stage at Barnard College in Manhattan, the pro-abortion politicians indicated that abortion on demand is their top priority for the new legislative year, according to WAMC Public Radio.

Cuomo called the bill a “prophylactic” from the new conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court.

“[Justice Brett] Kavanaugh is going to reverse Roe v. Wade,” Cuomo said. “I have no doubt. [Justice Neil] Gorsuch is going to reverse Roe v. Wade. I have no doubt. So what do we do? Protect ourselves. Pass a state law that is a prophylactic from the federal action.”

He also threatened to hold up the state budget if the legislature delays action on the bill.

“We do the budget in April,” Cuomo said. “I will not pass a budget until the Reproductive Health Act and the contraceptive care act are passed.”

Pro-abortion lawmakers in New York have been trying to pass the radical pro-abortion Reproductive Health Act for years. Already one of the most pro-abortion states in America, New York would be made even more pro-abortion if the law passed. The bill would allow abortions on viable, late-term unborn babies for any “health” reason, a term so widely defined that basically anything would qualify. It would keep abortion on demand legal in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court decides to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Joining Cuomo, Clinton blasted the Trump administration for working to protect unborn babies from abortion.

“This administration has rolled back access to reproductive health services at home and around the world,” Clinton said. “And proposed cuts to international health, development and diplomacy that put both women’s lives and our national security at risk.”

New York Daily News reports more:

State Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long accused Cuomo of having “his head screwed on backwards.”

Unlike many other states, New York is not suffering from a lack of access to reproductive services, he said.

“This is not a problem New Yorkers are facing,” Long said. “Women don’t have to go to a back alley to have an abortion. We have clinics all over New York State. I don’t know where his priorities are but they’re mixed up. He should be lowering taxes, reducing mandates, and making New York business friendly, but he’s not doing that.”

The AP reports the legislation is expected to pass now that Democrats control both state houses.

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The bill would end a decades-old law that would criminalize late-term abortion if Roe is overturned. It would replace the old law with new language allowing unborn babies to be aborted for basically any reason, even if they are viable outside the womb. State Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, is the sponsor.

“It would proclaim abortion as a fundamental right and impose an extreme abortion agenda on all New Yorkers,” according to New York State Right to Life.

Among the most radically pro-abortion parts of the legislation, it would create a very loose definition of viability that could allow unborn babies to be aborted up to birth. According to a New York RTL analysis of the bill in 2013:

“Roe v. Wade defined viability as the potential to ‘live outside the mother’s womb, albeit with artificial aid.’ RHA states that viability will be subjectively determined by the ‘licensed healthcare practitioner’ and no ‘extraordinary medical measures’ are required to help the child survive outside the womb. ‘Extraordinary medical measures’ is not defined.”

It also would end limits on late-term abortions by allowing third-trimester unborn babies to be aborted for all “health” factors including “physical, emotional, psychological, familial and the woman’s age.”

Additionally, the bill says the state cannot “deny, regulate or restrict” abortion, not even for common-sense reasons such as parental consent for minors, informed consent or limits on taxpayer-funded abortions.

Pro-life groups fear for medical workers’ rights as well. According to New York RTL, the bill does not provide conscience protections for religious hospitals or insurance companies, and medical workers could be forced to refer women for abortions.

Cuomo and Clinton both have long records of advocating for abortion on demand. During her failed 2016 presidential campaign, Clinton not only pushed for abortion to be legal for any reason up to birth but also for taxpayer-funded abortions.