MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT 

The Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act

S.6045-Stewart-Cousins

The National Association of Social Workers New York State Chapter, on behalf of its 12,000 members, supports passage of S.6045, the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act. NASW-NYS supports every woman’s determination to make unimpeded reproductive choices and thus stands firmly behind the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act; which ensures that all women are afforded the right to make independent reproductive decisions to promote their own health and well being.

Since the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade in 1973, the right to choose the course of pregnancy has become a basic one for all women in the United States, but New York statute still does not provide for the legal protections sent down from this landmark case. The reproductive health and privacy protection act addresses these statutory discrepancies, and brings New York State law up to Federal Constitutional standards, while further ensuring a woman’s reproductive privacy. In New York State, women’s reproductive health laws relating to abortion have not significantly changed in the last 30 years. It is time that we address the needs and rights of women as New York moves into a healthier and more equitable future.

The health and well-being of women depends in part on their ability to freely access information and services related to reproductive health with both their privacy and safety held certain. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights stated as long ago as 1979 that unfettered access to reproductive health services, including abortion, helps advance the social progress of women across the world. The commission also notes that women who postpone childbearing allow themselves more time for educational, occupational, and social development, thus offsetting some of the institutional disadvantages confronted regularly by women across the world. While gender equality has advanced somewhat over the past several decades, there is still much work to be done to promote policies that assist in advancing the beneficence and social standing of women across the world.

The National Association of Social Workers’ policy stance on reproductive rights and abortion is guided by the ethical principle of self-determination, which for the purposes of this bill, refers to a woman’s right to choose the course of her own pregnancy without interference from government or other actors who may want to limit reproductive freedom. The NASW national policy position on family planning promotes all policies that expand access to contraceptive technology, and opposes any policies limiting access to such services through funding cuts or legislative action. As such, the NASW-NY State Chapter strongly urges passage of S.6045.