Abortion Under Trump: Cuomo Vows To Protect Roe vs. Wade Rights In New York State

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for an amendment to the state constitution Monday that would ensure women have access to late-term abortions and birth control medicines, The Associated Press reported. Cuomo’s announcement came one day before President Donald Trump is scheduled to nominate a new judge to the Supreme Court who is expected to be conservative leaning and could potentially vote to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a woman's right to an abortion.

The landmark Supreme Court verdict in Roe v. Wade ruled that the right to privacy under the 14^th Amendment guarantees a women’s right to have an abortion until the point of fetal "viability" nationwide. The decision defined "viable" as “potentially able to live outside the mother’s womb, albeit, with artificial aid.”

Cuomo, a Democrat, voiced his plan to amend the state's constitution to a crowd of hundreds of supporters of Planned Parenthood in Albany, New York, saying it was vital to guarantee abortion rights in New York while the federal status quo regarding abortions was in jeopardy.

Trump already hurt women's rights three days into his presidency in the eyes of many activists when he signed a memorandum, commonly referred to as the gag rule, to restore a policy that halts all federal funding to nongovernmental organizations that perform abortions for women overseas, NPR reported.

"Our rights are under attack in Washington," Cuomo told the crowd at the event. "As they pull on our rights, we're going to push back."

Cuomo’s plan for a new amendment could take several years as it would have to be passed by two legislative bodies two times, in consecutive terms, before appearing on ballots so New Yorkers can vote on it. The plan faces its greatest opposition from leaders in the Republican-controlled state Senate, where legislators have previously denied efforts to translate the Roe V. Wade decision into state law.

The delay associated with Cuomo plan is disconcerting to Democratic state Sen. Liz Krueger of Manhattan, who has sponsored a bill that would make sure the rights from the Roe decision would be guaranteed under state statute. Krueger said her legislation could be put in place faster than Cuomo’s plan to amend the state’s constitution that “wouldn’t take effect until 2019.”

The abortion rate in New York was 29.6 abortions per 1,000 in 2014, while there were 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women across the country, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization that supports abortion rights.