SENATOR BRAD HOYLMAN NAMES ABORTION PROVIDER DR. MEERA SHAH AS 2018 NY SENATE “WOMAN OF DISTINCTION”

ALBANY, NY – State Senator Brad Hoylman (D/WF-Manhattan) announced his nominee for the New York State Senate 2018 “Woman of  Distinction” awards, Dr. Meera Shah. Dr. Shah is a family medicine physician in Manhattan, specializing in abortion and contraceptive care.

State Senator Brad Hoylman said: “The State of New York has an obligation to protect New Yorkers’ access to abortion and safe reproductive care. I’m proud to honor Dr. Meera Shah today as my 2018 New York Senate Woman of  Distinction because abortion providers like Dr. Shah are on the frontlines of access to reproductive health care and often targeted with insults and threats against their lives. So, in my mind, physicians like Dr. Shah are the personification of courage. Also, Dr. Shah’s nomination is an important reminder that we must pass the Reproductive Health Act and bring New York’s abortion laws up to constitutional standards.”

Dr. Shah said: “It’s a vital, and sometimes challenging, time to be an abortion provider in the United States. We urgently need our state legislators to step up and safeguard New Yorkers’ continued access to safe and compassionate reproductive health care. Thank you, Senator Hoylman, for not just honoring my personal work, but creating an opportunity to destigmatize abortion and discuss the importance of access to abortion services in New York.”

Dr. Shah is certified by the American Academy of HIV Medicine and provides care to those living with HIV and to those who identify as transgender or gender nonbinary. Dr. Shah is also a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health and enjoys being a vocal advocate for sexual and reproductive health access for all people. 

Despite its reputation as a deeply progressive blue state, New Yorkers lack complete abortion access protections. Unless it's immediately life-saving, getting an abortion after 24 weeks is a criminal act under New York law — even when it's necessary for a woman's health or when a fetus is not viable, which falls short of what is required in Roe v. Wade.

To address this serious problem, Senator Hoylman is a co-sponsor of the Reproductive Health Act (S2796), sponsored by Senator Liz Krueger and Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, which would bring New York’s reproductive health laws out of the criminal code and up to constitutional standards. The bill is stalled in the State Senate, where Senate leadership has refused to bring it to the floor for a vote.

CONTACT:

Avery Cohen– (818) 577-7556