Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday signed a bill to enable providers who prescribe medications used to perform abortions to request that the dispensing pharmacy print the name of their practice on prescription labels instead of their personal name.
This comes after a New York physician was charged with prescribing abortion pills to a pregnant minor in Louisiana on Friday.
“Reproductive freedom will always be protected in the State of New York — and I’ll never back down from this fight,” Hochul said. “I’m taking action to strengthen protections for health care professionals and their patients, ensuring New York is a safe haven for anyone providing or receiving reproductive care. At a time when fundamental rights are under attack across the country, we are doubling down on our commitment to safeguard access to reproductive health care and defend those on the frontlines of this battle.”
The new law enhances New York’s shield law by offering additional protections for doctors prescribing medications used to perform abortions to patients in hostile states, according to a press release. It allows prescribers to ask that the dispensing pharmacy print the name of their practice instead of their personal names on the prescription labels for mifepristone, misoprostol and generic alternatives.
Research from the Society for Family Planning indicates that one in five abortions conducted in December 2023 were via telehealth, with an estimated 48% of these procedures performed by doctors in states with shield laws like New York’s.
"I must stand up and protect our doctors, and our doctors have this right to do this," Hochul said at a press conference. "Never, under any circumstances will I sign an extradition agreement that sends our doctor into harm's way to be prosecuted as a criminal for simply following her oath."
