NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams unveiled his plan Tuesday to improve women’s health in New York City, saying his $1.2 million package expands access to reproductive care.
Starting Wednesday, a clinic in the Morrisania section of the Bronx will be the first of four city-run free clinics to begin offering abortion pills free of charge.
“The system needs to change. We have to do better and we will do better,” Adams said at a news conference outside City Hall. “For New York City to truly lead the nation, we must go further.”
Women, no matter where they live, can access the abortion pill after consulting with a doctor.
In addition to creating access to the abortion pill, Adams wants to see research on diseases that affect women and calls on workplaces to make changes that support women at all stages of life.
City leaders said they want to create an abortion center that helps women explore the options available to them, and many said they believe access to the pill is the next step. The City Council said the new effort came in part as a result of the reversal of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court, the decision that ended the right to abortion in the US.
At this time, the pill is available in the 11 health centers and hospitals in the city. But the change will make the pills accessible at city health clinics, with locations in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn getting them before the end of 2023.
Getting the pill at one of the clinics comes with fewer hurdles: Health care providers won’t ask you for insurance or whether you’re a US citizen.
“These are city dollars that are set aside for this purpose and we are the first in the nation to do so,” said New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan.
The city’s hope is that with the clinics providing care as well, an additional 10,000 women will be able to get the pill.
“We have been on the sidelines of women’s health for a long time. We are going to build a city for all women and girls,” Adams said. “Women’s health needs intensive care.”
The next step on Adams’ path: hosting a summit on women’s health in March.
