Cuomo Late-term Abortion

Pro-life groups say Cuomo bill would allow late-term abortions 'on demand'

By Judson Berger

Published January 22, 2013

FoxNews.com

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  Jan. 14, 2013: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference in Albany, N.Y. (AP)
  

On the heels of passing sweeping gun control legislation, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing the envelope once again -- this time with a call for an abortion bill that opponents say would effectively allow late-term abortion "on demand." 
Pro-life organizations and religious groups are beginning to rally against the proposal, after Cuomo declared in his Jan. 9 State of the State address that he wanted to enact a so-called "Reproductive Health Act" as part of a 10-point plan to advance "women's equality." 

The governor did not dive into specifics in his address, but he is expected to push for provisions similar to those in a bill introduced by Democratic state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins. 

That bill contains language that would allow abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy if it is "necessary to protect a woman's health" -- that exception is different from one protecting a woman's life and one critics say can be broadly interpreted. 
Stewart-Cousins on Tuesday urged her colleagues to bring the "crucial legislation" to the floor "as soon as possible." 

She said in a statement it would "ensure that regardless of what takes place on the national level, a woman's right to choose will always be protected in New York State." 

But the New York State Catholic Conference earlier this month described the plan as "radical." Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, wrote in a letter to Cuomo that given New York state's high abortion rate, "I am hard pressed to think of a piece of legislation that is less needed or more harmful than this one."