Assembly Passes Legislation to Protect Reproductive Freedoms and Healthcare Providers on Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Speaker Carl Heastie announced today that the Assembly has passed two bills to increase protection for medical staff that provide reproductive care and strengthen reproductive care access.

“Healthcare decisions should always remain between a woman and her doctor,” said Speaker Heastie. “This legislation allows New York to remain a beacon of hope for women seeking access to care and the doctors who provide it. The Assembly Majority remains committed to fighting for a future where women can access the care they need without fear.”

Legislation passed today (A.2145-A, Reyes) would increase privacy protections for doctors dispensing medications by replacing the prescriber’s name with the name of the practice. This would allow New York prescribers to provide care for their patients out of state without fear of direct legal action.

“There should be no reason that medical professionals face legal consequences for providing care to their patients,” said Assemblymember Karines Reyes. “As a medical professional myself, I understand the duty to provide adequate care to all patients and I’m honored that this bill will provide further protections to New York’s talented healthcare workers.”

Also passed today is a bill (A.2141-A, Rosenthal) that would provide additional protections for electronic health information. This includes information that is stored by cellphones, smart watches and information collected over the internet through purchases or search history. This legislation protects information that is not already protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), including information collected in the pursuit of reproductive healthcare access.

“Today we take a monumental step forward in the fight for stronger health data privacy protections in New York State,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. “For far too long, the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and countless powerful tech entities, sold and bartered New Yorkers’ health data with impunity. However, no matter their net worth, neither Amazon, Meta or Google are entitled to information about New Yorkers’ menstrual cycles, their step count or glucose levels. With the passage of my legislation, New Yorkers and those who visit our state will finally be able to shield their most important, private health information from the prying eyes, and potential misuse, of billion-dollar entities and mobile health apps. I thank Speaker Heastie for his support in getting this landmark bill over the finish line."