Washington CNN —
New York Metropolis started providing free abortion drugs Wednesday at its municipal sexual well being clinic within the Bronx.
The town already affords medical abortion at 11 public hospitals, however the brand new program will finally increase entry to 4 public clinics, giving sufferers a cost-free path to the process. enhance.
Democratic Mayor Eric Adams introduced this system at a metropolis corridor press convention on Tuesday, wherein he mentioned efforts have been made via public well being departments to offer medical abortions “in some other metropolis within the nation, on the earth, or wherever else.” praised the
“We’re first,” mentioned Adams.
Clinics in Queens, Harlem and Brooklyn might be providing the drugs by the tip of the 12 months, in keeping with town.
The clinic’s drugs are supplied to sufferers freed from cost and are funded as a part of a $1.2 million bundle for sexual well being providers, in keeping with town’s Division of Well being.
Ashwin Vasan, commissioner of town’s Division of Well being and Psychological Well being, mentioned as much as 10,000 medical abortions a 12 months could possibly be carried out as soon as the 4 public clinics are operational, along with the medical abortions already supplied by public hospitals. He mentioned he would have the ability to provide abortions.
Vasan additionally mentioned that medical abortion is “open to anybody” in want of a medical abortion, inside or exterior New York Metropolis. The town now affords abortion providers to anybody no matter immigration standing.
For the reason that Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade final summer time, New York Metropolis has launched a number of applications in latest months to make abortion accessible to ladies.
In August, Adams signed A package of six bills from the City Council Generally known as the NYC Abortion Rights Act, it paved the way in which totally free medical abortions in Division of Well being clinics.
And in November, town introduced its first Abortion Access Hub It’s a nation that secretly hyperlinks abortion-seeking ladies to abortion suppliers within the metropolis. The hub is open to ladies in any state and can even assist present ladies with monetary help providers for the process, transportation and lodging as wanted.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration introduced approved A licensed pharmacy that dispenses the abortion drug mifepristone to individuals with a prescription.
Mifepristone can be utilized together with one other drug, misoprostol, to terminate a being pregnant. Beforehand, these tablets might solely be ordered, prescribed, and allotted by approved healthcare suppliers. In the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, the FDA mentioned it might not implement a rule permitting drugs to be mailed and requiring individuals to get the primary of two medication in particular person at a clinic or hospital. .