Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York will not honor Louisiana’s extradition request for a state-based doctor accused under restrictive abortion laws. Citing New York’s shield laws and constitutional protections, Hochul vowed to protect healthcare providers from out-of-state legal actions. Law enforcement agencies across the state have been directed not to enforce certain out-of-state warrants related to reproductive healthcare. The move underscores New York’s stance as a safe haven for abortion providers and patients. #ReproductiveRights #AbortionAccess #ShieldLaws #NYPolitics
Governor Hochul Makes a Reproductive Freedom Announcement
Governor Hochul: “Louisiana has changed their laws, but that has no bearing on the laws here in the State of New York. Doctors take an oath to protect their patients. I took an oath of office to protect all New Yorkers, and I will uphold not only our constitution, but also the laws of our land. And I will not be signing an extradition order that came from the Governor of Louisiana: Not now, not ever.”
Hochul: “And to establish that this is known across the State, we have sent out a law enforcement notice that certain out-of-state warrants are not enforceable in the State of New York. So anyone who possibly pulls over an individual or is involved in a situation for a doctor who is protected under our laws is told, ‘You are not to cooperate and enforce this extradition.’ So I want to be clear that we have taken all the steps we can to protect this doctor.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul made a reproductive freedom announcement.
VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).
AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.
PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page will post photos of the event here .
A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:
Good afternoon. At 1:41 p.m. today, this office received an order of extradition for a New York doctor, an abortion provider, who lives upstate. She has been accused of participating in a murder, and they’re saying that she is to be charged with the crime of a criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs. This is a very serious offense.
As I have said before, in the State of New York, at my direction, we have put in place strict shield laws that anticipated this very situation: That in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade — the established law for 49 years that gave women the rights that my mother’s generation had to fight for, that my generation took for granted, that are no longer there for my daughter’s generation — after 49 years of having the established law of the nation overturned by this Supreme Court, we knew that in the State of New York that we had providers who could be vulnerable.
And what we’re talking about is also the amendments we put in place after the original law was signed in 2022. We also contemplated a prescription of a telemedicine prescription for this legally abortion-inducing drug, which has been on the market and approved by the FDA for over 20 years. It is safe and it has been legal.
Louisiana has changed their laws, but that has no bearing on the laws here in the State of New York. Doctors take an oath to protect their patients. I took an oath of office to protect all New Yorkers, and I will uphold not only our constitution, but also the laws of our land. And I will not be signing an extradition order that came from the Governor of Louisiana: Not now, not ever. I want to be very clear on that.
And to establish that this is known across the State, we have sent out a law enforcement notice that certain out-of-state warrants are not enforceable in the State of New York. So anyone who possibly pulls over an individual or is involved in a situation for a doctor who is protected under our laws is told, “You are not to cooperate and enforce this extradition.”
So I want to be clear that we have taken all the steps we can to protect this doctor to continue allowing her to continue practicing what we believe is reproductive health, which I believe is an essential right.
February 13, 2025
Albany, NY
Sources: NY.gov , Midtown Tribune
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