Cuomo to Detail Abortion Legislation Today

Governor Andrew Cuomo plans to introduce abortion legislation today, and his aides and women’s rights groups have identified a Republican senator whom they will pressure to support it.

The proposal would change state law to allow abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy to protect a woman’s health, which is a broader exemption than the current law that provides for late term abortions only if a woman’s life is at risk.

The legislation will make New York's abortion laws consistent with federal law, which already allows for such abortions.

Today’s unveiling of the women’s equality agenda will set up a philosophical fight in the Senate over a divisive issue that has defined the nation’s culture wars for four decades.