NYS Legislature Passes Legislation To Include Telehealth Services For Reproductive Healthcare
The NYS Legislature has passed a measure that would ensure that telehealth services are included in New York State’s existing safeguards and protections regarding reproductive health services. The measure will now go to Governor Kathy Hochul for her signature.
S.1066B/A. 1709B, sponsored by Senator Shelley Mayer and Assemblymember Karines Reyes, builds upon the abortion and reproductive health services laws signed in June 2022 by explicitly adding protections for telehealth and telehealth services. As many states across the country have enacted abortion bans and reproductive rights restrictions following the Dobbs decision, this bill fills an important gap by safeguarding health care practitioners in New York from out-of-state activities that impede upon their ability to provide necessary reproductive health services to patients.
MSSNY supported this measure, following action at the 2023 House of Delegates that said: “MSSNY will support measures to protect practitioners licensed and residing in New York from legal or personal liability when delivering healthcare services to residents of New York State or any other state, whether in person or via telemedicine, when the services provided comply with New York State laws and regulations. MSSNY will support legislation to provide protections, including against extradition to any other state, for providers who perform comprehensive women’s health services that are legal in New York State. And that MSSNY will seek legislation or regulation that allows anyone sued in another state for providing or helping someone access reproductive health services in New York to file their own legal action for unlawful interference with a protected right, and to recover damages from the out of state litigant.”
