New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Stopped From Blocking Pro-Life Free Speech

Pro-life advocates scored a key legislative victory as New York’s state budget passed last week, blocking Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to impose buffer zones around abortion facilities that would have restricted pro-life free speech to pray or protest.

The final budget excluded abortion facilities from the buffer zone measure that had originally applied to both houses of worship and abortion facilities.

New York State Right to Life credited its lobbying for the change.

“As this legislative session comes to a close, I am happy to report some legislative victories for New York State Right to Life and pro-lifers throughout the state,” Nina Van Valkenburgh, chair of the board of directors of New York State Right to Life, said in a statement.

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“After much negotiation, the budget was finally passed last week, and, while it certainly was far from perfect, our lobbying efforts helped in the removal of two particularly egregious provisions,” she added.

The first provision was in Hochul’s buffer zone proposal.

Van Valkenburgh said her group opposed including abortion facilities and informed legislative allies.

“In the final version, abortion facilities were not included,” she said. “We at New York State Right to Life are grateful that this provision cannot be weaponized against pro-lifers standing for life outside abortion facilities.”

The second provision removed from the budget would have “enshrined a repudiation of parental rights in the case of minors getting abortions into law,” according to Van Valkenburgh.

“New York State Right to Life opposed this clause, which was ultimately excluded,” she said. “While we must continue to fight for parental rights to be actively recognized, we are glad the New York State Legislature listened to those, including us, who raised their voices against this further infringement of parents’ right to protect their children from those who would exploit them.”

Van Valkenburgh described the outcomes as victories for pro-lifers despite the budget being “far from perfect.”