US: New York State legalises abortion up to birth

The American state of New York has passed ‘horrific’ legislation which allows abortions up to the point of birth in many cases.

Democratic state governor, Andrew Cuomo, directed the One World Trade Center and other landmarks to be lit in pink to celebrate the passage of the ‘Reproductive Health Act (RHA)’.

Under the new law, non-doctors are now allowed to conduct abortions and the procedure could be done until the mother’s due date if the woman’s health is endangered or if the foetus is not viable.

The previous law only allowed abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy if a woman’s life was at risk.

The loosening of the laws comes as pro-abortion activists fear the newly conservative US Supreme Court will overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that made abortions legal.

The legislation also removes abortion from the criminal code and makes it a health issue. But that has been criticised by women who have lost babies following violent attacks.

Livia Abreu was assaulted by her boyfriend when she was 26 weeks pregnant. She was stabbed multiple times and lost her unborn baby.

She released a statement saying the new law would decriminalise ‘abortion as a product of an assault on a pregnant female’.

Her former partner is facing charges of abortion in the first and second degree, as well as attempted murder and assault.

‘The passing of RHA will likely exonerate him from those charges,’ she wrote, ‘which will in turn lessen his sentence now that a judge has decided the case is going to trial and the new law will take effect prior to that date.

‘Let that sink in. He will likely be convicted of the crimes he committed against me, but the loss of my daughter will be a non-factor to the law because she wasn’t “born and alive”’.