Four years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul have announced a nearly half-a-million-dollar investment to expand the New York City Abortion Access Hub.
The new funding will strengthen the Hub’s referral network, allowing it to connect people with a wider range of abortion providers and support organizations across New York State. Officials say the expansion is aimed at improving access to reproductive healthcare, regardless of where someone lives.
The Abortion Access Hub was launched in 2022 in response to the Dobbs ruling, which ended the federal constitutional right to abortion and allowed individual states to set their own abortion laws. In addition to connecting callers with abortion providers, the Hub also helps people access financial assistance, transportation and lodging when seeking abortion care.
According to city officials, the service has helped more than 15,000 people access abortion care since it was launched. Demand has come from both within and outside New York, with around one in four callers travelling from other states. The largest share of out-of-state callers come from Florida, followed by Texas and Georgia, where abortion access is heavily restricted.
Data from the Hub also highlights who is most likely to rely on the service. Around 60% of callers are under the age of 30, while nearly 60% report annual household incomes below $25,000. City leaders say these figures underscore the barriers many young and low-income people continue to face when trying to access reproductive healthcare.
Officials say the expanded referral network will make it easier for more people across New York to obtain abortion care and related support services, reinforcing the state’s commitment to protecting access to reproductive healthcare in the years following the Dobbs decision.
