Lander Unveils Comprehensive Plan to Protect New Yorkers From Trump’s Attacks on Their Reproductive Freedom
Plan includes expanding community locations prescribing medication, doubling number of people NYC Abortion Access Hub serves, providing legal protection for healthcare providers
Watch recorded press conference and view photos from event
NEW YORK, NY — Today, Brad Lander unveiled his plan to protect New Yorkers’ reproductive freedom amid escalating attacks on reproductive rights from Trump and his draconian Project 2025 agenda. Lander stood alongside BKForge leader Alison Mingus and long-time NYC reproductive rights advocate Robin Wilner in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Soho — which was recently reported to be closing, leaving Manhattan without a single Planned Parenthood clinic. Lander emphasized his commitment to safeguarding abortion access and protecting reproductive health care providers. His announcement comes during Women's History Month and follows the indictment of a New York physician charged with shipping abortion medication to a patient in Louisiana.
“As one of the first states to decriminalize abortion and later enshrine the right in our state constitution, New York City has a long history of protecting reproductive freedom,” said Brad Lander. “But now, the Trump administration is waging a war on reproductive rights – threatening to withdraw FDA approval for mifepristone, banning contraception, punishing reproductive health care providers, and even pulling sex education from our schools. New York City needs a mayor who will staunchly defend the right to abortion, shield our healthcare providers against unconstitutional attacks, and make our City a beacon for those who want to access reproductive health care.”
Lander slammed Andrew Cuomo for being a serial sexual harasser whose history partnering with Republicans disqualifies him from being the champion for reproductive freedom that New York City deserves. Cuomo’s infamous IDC was decried by reproductive rights groups and advocates for blocking key measures enshrining abortion in the state and voting to defund Planned Parenthood.
Lander laid out a series of concrete, actionable steps he’d take as Mayor to fight back against Trump’s dangerous attacks on abortion, providers of reproductive health care, contraception, women in emergency medical situations, and more.
To safeguard against current and future federal overreaches jeopardizing abortion access, abortion pills, and even telehealth prescriptions for mifepristone, Lander will:
Work with providers to expand community locations prescribing medication abortions and contraception
Develop an independent authority, funded exclusively through state, local, and private sources, to oversee and manage all essential reproductive services currently provided by public agencies
Establish a Council to Protect Reproductive Freedom (CPRF) to convene all providers, experts, consumers and advocates to find gaps in City services related to reproductive health
Demand accountability for stronger legal protections safeguarding New Yorkers personal health information from harassment, denial of service, or prosecution
Organize a coalition of Mayors nationwide to work together to develop the most effective strategies for local and state policies and speak out for reproductive freedom
To offer New York’s reproductive health care providers legal protections from the City, as Mayor, Lander will:
Support even stronger shield laws and other legal protections for New York providers serving clients in states with abortion bans
Revive a training protocol from 2002 to ensure that all Ob/Gyn residency programs in New York City public hospitals include abortion training, including ER doctors and other specialties who often have to address pregnancy and miscarriage issues
Incorporate local grant funding into the City’s base budget to ensure reliable, consistent support for abortion services
To ensure New York City is a safe haven for abortion care for out-of-state visitors seeking care from abortion-restrictive states, and as Mayor will:
Double the number of people the New York City Abortion Access Hub serves to 15,000 people
Provide targeted support for folks traveling from states where abortions are banned
As a result of Lander’s plan, New York will see:
Protection against federal threats, safeguarding abortion and reproductive health services.
Expanded abortion access citywide, reducing disparities in reproductive healthcare.
Sustainable funding by embedding reproductive health services in the city’s core budget.
Healthcare providers are legally protected, reinforcing shield laws against out-of-state prosecution.
Increased practical support for out-of-state travelers seeking reproductive care.
Improved emergency care protocols to protect patients needing urgent reproductive healthcare.
Contraceptive availability and strengthened sex education in schools.
As Comptroller, after Trump was elected, Lander quickly organized and convened the “Protecting NYC” roundtable to assess the risks the Trump presidency poses to the City, including Project 2025’s vile plans to instill a “de-facto abortion ban,” which would threaten New Yorkers’ access to safe and legal abortions. Lander has also called on pharmacy giants like Walmart, Costco, and Kroger to distribute mifepristone despite federal pushbacks.
The rollout of Lander’s reproductive rights platform comes as he recently secured the endorsement of the reproductive freedom and gender equity organization, BKForge. BKForge advocates hammered Cuomo for being deeply unfit to be Mayor, and better the lives of New Yorkers.
“BKForge will not stand by and let our city elect a leader who is a serial sexual assaulter. We will support a leader who is focused on one thing and one thing only: improving the lives of the people who live here,” said BK Forge leader Alison Mingus.
BKForge notably also announced a series of “anti-endorsements” for Mayor, encouraging their members to “NOT include Andrew Cuomo, Eric Adams, or Scott Stringer on your ballots,” as they said they “...could not, in good conscience, support three men with multiple accusations of sexual harassment and/or assault against them.”
Read Lander’s plan Protecting Reproductive Rights.
###