Attorney General Letitia James wants to set up a state fund to pay for abortions sought by women living outside of New York, as the U.S. Supreme Court ponders a final decision to overturn a Mississippi law aimed at restricting the procedure .
James – who is running for governor next year – said she believes the Empire State should “establish a dedicated fund that will help support and provide financial resources to women across the country so they can continue to take their own reproductive choices. ”
The fund would cover the cost of the abortion plus travel and hotel expenses for women traveling to the state, according to James.
James’ proposal comes in response to oral arguments heard last week in the Dobbs case against the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which challenged a 2018 law that imposed a 15-week ban on abortions in Mississippi.
But conservative judges – who make up a 6-3 majority on the bench – have signaled that they could even be interested in overthrowing Roe v. Wade completely – the 1973 SCOTUS decision that gave women the right to have an abortion – in instead of advocating an approach that allows states to enact their own abortion laws.
James’ office did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Post about how much the initiative would cost or where dollars would come from.
Hochul, meanwhile, said she was “open to examining any proposals to further protect access to abortion in our state.”
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