The Context
New York is hardly the first state to authorize pharmacists to distribute birth control, following more than two dozen others, including New Jersey, California and Oregon, that already allow some version of the practice.
But few states have done as much to establish themselves as safe harbors for reproductive care.
Just before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Ms. Hochul allotted $35 million to support health care workers, anticipating an influx of out-of-state abortion seekers.
Soon after, lawmakers passed a bill to protect abortion providers from out-of state litigation and took the first steps toward enshrining a right to abortion in the State Constitution.
This year, in her proposed budget, Ms. Hochul called for spending $100 million to support reproductive health care providers.
At a press event at a pharmacy in Albany on Tuesday, she framed the birth control news as part of a larger commitment to women’s autonomy and reproductive rights.
“Here in New York, you have the power to walk into a pharmacy — just like we are here today — and to make that decision that ‘I want this. I want to be able to control the process. I want to control my life,’” she said.
Why It Matters
In the nearly two years since Roe was overturned, more than 20 states have either banned or sharply restricted abortions. Women’s health advocates say the restrictions only underscore the importance of making contraception widely available and accessible.
While many Democrats and some Republicans have voiced support for protecting reproductive freedoms at the federal level, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives has stymied all efforts to date. Many national Republicans — and former President Donald J. Trump, who is again the presumptive Republican nominee — have indicated that they would support a nationwide abortion ban of some kind.
Democrats are hoping that the issue will play a key role in November’s election, in which President Biden will face off against Mr. Trump.
What’s Next
New York’s rule is on the books officially as of Tuesday, though it may take a few weeks for pharmacies to get things up and running.
State officials said they expected roughly 85 percent of pharmacies to participate.
This November, New Yorkers will be asked to vote on the Equal Rights Amendment, which would formally enshrine protections from gender-based discrimination, including restrictions on reproductive care, into the State Constitution.
That measure, which would also ban discrimination on the basis of race, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation, would be the first of its kind.
