Abortion pill prescribers in New York state will get heightened protections under a bill signed by the governor on Monday.
The legislation (S.36A/A.2145A), signed into law by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), allows labels for mifepristone and misoprostol to include the name of the prescribing health-care practice rather than the prescriber’s name.
Hochul in her fiscal 2026 budget proposal said “medical providers in New York who prescribe medication abortion to patients in antiabortion states face risks if their identities are disclosed.”
“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,” Hochul said in a Monday statement. “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 law comes at a contentious time for abortion access in the US. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, various states have enacted abortion restrictions, while others have sought ways to bolster access.
Abortion medication has featured heavily in the battle over reproductive treatments. In December, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) sued a New York doctor for providing abortion medication to a Texas resident.
That same doctor, Margaret D. Carpenter, was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury in January for providing abortion medication.
“Louisiana has the right and the duty to protect its citizens from high-risk abortion drugs,” Erik Baptist, director of the Center for Life with the Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement. “Every abortion kills the baby and harms the mother, and the FDA’s own label says that roughly one in 25 women and girls taking abortion drugs will end up in the emergency room.”
“If the FDA continues to recklessly disregard the serious risks that abortion drugs pose to pregnant women and girls, states are left with no choice but to step in and ensure that no one else is harmed by these drugs,” Baptist said.
Hochul, however, affirmed her support of abortion medication access.
“Reproductive freedom will always be protected in the State of New York—and I’ll never back down from this fight,” Hochul said Monday.
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