Problems with Spitzer's Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act (RHAPP)
Former Governor Elliot Spitzer introduced a bill designed to ensure that abortion remains legal in NYS if and when Roe vs. Wade is eventually overturned. The bill modifies state health, education, county, and penal codes by removing occurrences of the word abortion without considering the ramifications of their removal. So rather than protecting women’s reproductive health, RHAPP returns abortion to the days of back alley procedures, by removing the protections and safeguards that Roe vs. Wade guaranteed.
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Click here to read newspaper pieces about the problems with RHAPP.
Act Now!
Please contact your state senate and assembly representatives to voice your opposition to the bill, and help keep New York women safe.
Click here to find your senate representatives by zipcode
Click here to find your assembly representatives by zipcode
Click here to contact Gov. Spitzer's office
RHAPP:
- Makes requirement of reporting illegal, therefore making research on abortion and contraception virtually impossible.
- Shields abortion providers from prosecution in cases of malpractice.
- Modifies the NYS Penal Code so that situations of coerced or forced abortion, abortions performed by unauthorized clinics, or other back alley scenarios cannot be prosecuted.
- Removes the requirement that abortions be provided by duly licensed professionals, so that unlicensed practice is not a criminal offense.
- Prevents medical examiners from investigating deaths caused by criminal abortion.
- Prevents unauthorized abortion providers from being tried for manslaughter for abortions which lead to a woman’s death.
Click here to read our opposition paper on RHAPP