New York, NY, Tuesday, February 25, 2025 – In 2023, New York enacted the “telehealth shield law,” which was supported by the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”). The telehealth shield law protects New York doctors from serving patients in states with restrictive abortion laws. It allows them to prescribe drugs like Mifepristone to induce an abortion without the fear of legal repercussions. The importance of this law was illustrated by Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent actions in shielding a New York doctor from prosecution and extradition to Louisiana for prescribing such medications to a pregnant woman in Louisiana.

WBASNY also recognizes Governor Hochul and the New York legislature for recently expanding the telehealth shield law to enable providers who prescribe medication used to perform abortions to request the dispensing pharmacy to print the name of their practice on the prescription label rather than the doctor’s name. This additional protection for New York doctors is crucial in ensuring that doctors can continue offering healthcare services without the fear of criminal penalties.

The fight is far from over. The Dobbs decision has dealt a severe blow to abortion access across the country, and New York must continue to reinforce its leadership in this area. The impact of the Dobbs decision cannot be overstated, and we must continue to advocate for reproductive rights. WBASNY reiterates its strong support for the New York State Legislature and Governor Hochul in their commitment to ensuring that everyone has the right to access quality reproductive healthcare in all forms. Our solidarity with their efforts is unwavering, and we stand ready to continue this vital work together.

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The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) is the professional membership organization of choice for nearly 4,000 attorneys throughout New York State and the largest statewide women’s bar association in the country.  For more than four decades, WBASNY has been a singularly important resource for women lawyers, providing professional networking, continuing legal education programming, leadership training, and advocacy for the rights of women, children, and families.  Through involvement with WBASNY’s 20 regional chapters and its 40-plus substantive law committees, WBASNY’s members collaborate with one another on a variety of issues and perform public and community service, in furtherance of its mission to promote the advancement of the status of women in society and women in the legal profession; to promote the fair and equal administration of justice; and to act as a unified voice for its members with respect to issues of statewide, national and international significance to women generally and women attorneys in particular. WBASNY holds United Nations NGO status with the U.N.’s Department of Public Information, and Special Consultative status in association with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). WBASNY is also a founding member of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.