Hillary Clinton/Andrew Cuomo Bill to Legalize Abortions Up to Birth Expected to Pass Easily

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jan 9, 2019   |   12:04PM   |   Albany, New York

A radical bill that would allow abortions for basically any reason up to birth may pass the new Democrat-controlled New York state legislature this winter.

Supported by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Hillary Clinton, the bill is state Democrats’ top priority for the new legislative year. Cuomo even threatened to hold up the state budget until it passes.

Pro-abortion lawmakers in New York have been trying to pass the radical pro-abortion Reproductive Health Act for years, but it failed repeatedly in the state Senate. This year, however, pro-abortion Democrats gain control of both state houses, and abortion activists hope the bill will pass.

Already one of the most pro-abortion states in America, New York would become even more pro-abortion if the bill passes. The bill would allow abortions on viable, late-term unborn babies for any loosely defined “health” reason and would keep abortion on demand legal if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

The New York State Catholic Conference, which opposes the bill, basically admitted defeat in a comment to The Daily Star. A spokesperson said they do not have plans to lobby hard against the pro-abortion bill because there is little hope of success.

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Here’s more from the report:

A bill known as the Reproductive Health Act has been opposed for 13 years by the New York State Catholic Conference, representing the bishops who oversee Catholic dioceses.

But the rise of Democrats who favor abortion rights in the state Senate to take the majority in that chamber is expected to pave the way for passage in both houses later this month, said Dennis Poust, a spokesman for the bishops’ group.

“We know that the math doesn’t work for us in this case,” Poust said when asked if the bishops would stage a lobbying blitz at the statehouse this month.

Poust said pro-lifers sent more than 7,000 messages to Cuomo and state lawmakers this week in opposition to the bill.

“We realize it’s probably not going to make a difference in the final outcome,” he said. “But it’s still important to register that protest.”

Late-term abortion tourism appears to be one of abortion activists’ goals. State Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, a sponsor of the bill, basically admitted as much to the Star.

According to the report:

One reason for that, said Kathleen Gallagher of the Catholic Conference, is that nearby Pennsylvania has more restrictive abortion laws. Another factor is that New York is one of six states that voluntarily offer free abortions to Medicaid recipients, she noted.

“I think this will give a green light to late-term abortionists to come into New York,” Gallagher said.

Krueger said there is no reason for New York not to welcome women from elsewhere who have opted to have abortions.

The bill 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,” according to a New York State Right To Life analysis of the bill in 2013.

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.

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 the analysis:

“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.”

In 2016, 82,189 unborn babies were aborted in New York, with about half being taxpayer-funded, according to the local news. Of those babies, 1,763 were at least 20 weeks, meaning they may have been viable outside the womb.

ACTION: Contact New York state lawmakers.