The New York City Council and Mayor Bill De Blasio (D-N.Y.) agreed on Friday to a New York City 2020 Budget that would allocate $250,000 to the New York Abortion Access Fund, a non-profit abortion organization that helps arrange transportation for poor women seeking an abortion to more abortion-friendly states, reported the New York Times.
“This initiative not only makes New York the first city in the nation to directly fund abortion services, but also lets any American who is facing increasing abortion restrictions in their home state know that they can come and get the services they need in the Five Boroughs,” said city councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-N.Y.)
Although the funding is comparatively small in the context of the proposed $92.8 billion budget for the city, it is still a first step towards making New York City one of the most pro-abortion cities in the country.
Elizabeth Nash, an abortion activist at the Guttmacher Institute, admitted that the news is startling by confessing that she hopes that the matter remains hushed up for the time being. “I’ve been sitting with crossed fingers and toes,” she said, as reported by LifeNews.com.
Early estimates predict that between 500-600 pregnancies could be terminated by this budget plan alone.
On January 22, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed a bill into law that allows abortion under nearly any circumstance, including up to the moment of birth.
“That it can be done right up to the moment of birth, this is hideous,” said New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan at the time.
The deadline for the formal passage of the New York City Budget is set for June 30.