New York Governor Kathy Hochul, successor to disgraced Gov. Andrew Cuomo, reportedly wants Facebook to silence pro-life advocates following "misinformation" being circulated due to the Texas Heartbeat Act's implementation.
Life News said Hochul, a Democrat, have sent a letter to the Big Tech company on Monday requesting increased censorship on pro-life groups whose social media postings on the Texas Heartbeat Act has gone viral.
Hochul took over the gubernatorial seat when former Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned in mid-August following the release of the independent investigation findings on the sexual harassment allegations against him by various women.
As per Life News, Hochul told Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that the "misinformation" circulating in social media on abortion would make women seeking it feel "alone" and that the procedure is "unsafe." Hochul highlighted that abortion is nothing but a "common medical procedure" undertaken by several women in their "lifetime." She highlighted her goal is to ensure women have "access to abortion care."
"The truth is that abortion is a safe, common medical procedure. One in four women will undergo an abortion in her lifetime. I am proud that New York is leading the fight to ensure that every woman and birthing person has access to abortion care," Hochul said in the letter.
However, Life News rebutted the statistics Hochul spoke of as "outdated and inaccurate" based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on Reproductive Health data. The CDC said that "the number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions decreased 22%, 24%, and 16%, respectively" from 2009 to 2018.
"In 2018, 619,591 legal induced abortions were reported to CDC from 49 reporting areas. Among 48 reporting areas with data each year during 2009-2018, in 2018, a total of 614,820 abortions were reported, the abortion rate was 11.3 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years, and the abortion ratio was 189 abortions per 1,000 live births," the CDC said.
Hochul has also referenced the New York Reproductive Health Act in her letter to Facebook. The said law was signed by Cuomo in January 2019 to legalize abortions conducted by non-medical professionals on women said to be endangered by the pregnancy or whose unborn baby is found to be "not viable." Previously, the criminal code of New York deems such abortions by non-doctors as a criminal act.
Hochul on Monday reinstated New York's stand on abortion and declared the state as a safe haven for women seeking the procedure as a means to oppose the Texas Heartbeat Act. This declaration comes in the face of other governors such as South Dakota's Kristi Noem and Florida's Ron DeSantis signifying support for it and indicating that they will follow in Texas' steps.
"In Response to Anti-Abortion Laws in Texas and Across the Country, Governor Hochul Takes Aggressive Action to Cement New York State as a Safe Harbor for Those Seeking Abortion Care," the statement declared.
According to the statement, Hochul has directed several agencies of the state to support women seeking abortion by working with stakeholders in an information campaign for the public to "know their rights." The campaign is planned to include the creation of a "Patient Bill Of Rights."
Hochul, in addition, has tasked the New York Department of Health in the development and distribution of a "Provider Guidance and Education on Abortion Care". The said department was also mandated to update its regulations on telehealth to make medication for "abortions more accessible."
The statement also "urges Facebook to provide information on and take action to combat abortion misinformation online."
Noem, contrary to Hochul's steps in her statement, has previously released an executive order that bans telemedicine abortions in Texas.
