Addressing abortion rights in a post-Roe world

On this episode of The Voice, UUP president and host Fred Kowal discusses steps being taken to preserve and guarantee abortion rights in New York state just weeks after the  U.S. Supreme Court's June decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.  The court's 6-3 ruling nullified the landmark Roe v. Wade decision of  1973, which recognized abortion as a constitutional right. 

On the show, Kowal speaks with state Sen. Cordell Cleare and state Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, prime sponsors of the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Program. If approved, the bill would set aside $50 million to fund grants to help women access safe abortion services—including women traveling to New York from states where abortions are illegal. 

Cleare is also sponsoring a bill that would require SUNY to offer abortion services at all of its campuses. 

Kowal also speaks with Alissa Karl, UUP's statewide  vice president for academics, and the liaison to UUP’s Women’s Rights and Concerns Committee. 

Transcript

The Voice Podcast Episode 4: Addressing abortion rights in a post-Roe world

Hello, I'm Fred Kowal president of United university professions. And this is the voice The voice podcast is a production of United university professions. The nation's largest higher education union representing more than 42,000 academic and professional faculty in retirees at state operated, SUNY campuses and public teaching hospitals in Brooklyn, Stony Brook and Syracuse. I'm Mike Lacey.

The us Supreme court surprised no one with its June 24th ruling that overturned the landmark Roe versus Wade decision of 1973, which had recognized abortion as a constitutional right in may elite draft of the court's decision on Dobbs versus Jackson women's health organization regarding a Mississippi law that makes most abortions illegal after 15 weeks.

And a direct challenge to Roe V. Wade provided a stark preview of what was to come 12 states currently ban or restrict abortions with nine more expected to enact anti-abortion laws. Soon, according to planned parenthood, seven states, including Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas have banned abortion out. What's certain is the panic, grief, anger, and confusion women across the country are experiencing after the conservative led court ripped away from them, the basic human right to have control over their own bodies.

What's left is the specter of forced labor and childbirth in states where abortion is or will soon be illegal. The impact will fall hardest on black. And other communities of color, especially those living in poverty or at low income levels and black women already face a severe maternal mortality crisis, regardless of their income.

Today, we will speak with Dr. Alyssa, Carl UUP, statewide, vice president for academics and the liaison to UUP P's women's rights and concerns committee. We also welcome Senator Cordell clear an assembly member, Jessica Gonzalez, Rojas sponsors of a bill that would create a new program to provide funds, to help abortion providers and nonprofits that aid people in accessing abortion care.

The reproductive freedom and equity program would set aside 50 million to fund grants to help women access safe abortion services, including women traveling to New York from states where abortions are illegal. Senator clear who represents the 30th Senate district is chair of the Senate's committee on women's issue.

Assembly member Gonzalez Rojas who represents the 34th assembly district in Queens is the former executive director of the national Latina Institute for reproductive justice. Welcome Alyssa. Thanks for joining us today. Hi Fred, even though we all knew that the dos decision was coming, it's still incredible.

At least in my humble opinion, that Roe versus Wade was struck down as it has stood for nearly a half a century. I would like to start with asking you, what was your initial reaction and your first thoughts when this came down? Yeah, I think a lot of people were in a position of knowing it was going to happen, but there was this indefinite timeline.

So it was, it was shocking and gutting, but also not. We had predicted that the first feeling I had was just one of, kind of helplessness. Roughly half the people in this country have been deprived of rights and we're not equal, like fundamentally, you know, what do you do? You know? So it is because it is such a vast matter that impacts all different aspects of our lives.

And so there is this kind of feeling of helplessness. What could I individually do? That was the first reaction, even though we had all had a lot of time to think about it, to be on calls, to be in meetings, to be organizing. There still was a feeling of, you know, that that were an uncharted territory. When the decision was announced angry.

Yeah, angry, but also hurt and sad and all of those things at the same time for, you know, feeling for myself and for everybody, you know, my daughter and everybody who is a childbearing person are potentially a childbearing person. Yeah. And I think, you know, not to blow our own horns, but UUP, as you know, issued a statement and you had a lot to do with the crafting of that statement, along with our excellent women's rights and concerns committee.

I think that statement established a position that I think is crucial for labor for union specifically, since you had such a central role in that, could you talk about that position and how we collectively as UUP feel about reproductive rights? As part of labor rights. First thing to say is I'm really heartened by the fact that so many unions have been saying this specifically, right.

Have been making the direct connection between abortion rights and rights to reproductive healthcare and labor. Lots of unions from the AFL, CIO and us, and all outward have been doing that. And that is really important. And there's two key reasons that aren't mutually exclusive, but they're related the first has to do with all of the things that the labor movement fights for.

It has to do with our fight for fair compensation, for healthcare, for childcare, for safe places to live for, um, health and safety and good conditions in which to do our work, but also in which to live our lives. So that question of the full package and the full set of conditions that we live in is fundamental to what labor does.

And those are also all of the Condit. In which a person would determine whether or not they wanted to carry a pregnancy. It's not just about your, you know, your individual choice as it has been couched in the, the discourse that we use to talk about abortion. The individual choice takes place in a whole complex and vast set of conditions.

That an individual cannot control. We might be able to change them as a movement, right? This is what unions do. Yes. They empower people, but labor rights and abortion rights are absolutely implicated because they are the same thing. They are about the conditions of our lives and our women's rights and concerns committee has recently done some great work in helping to bring the issue of reproductive justice to our members and to help inform them about what that is and how reproductive justice is fundamentally a labor issue.

And so I think that those two notions work really well together. Reproductive justice is about having the ability to. Determine and build healthy conditions for all kinds of life, right? And this is what labor tries to do. Now there's another piece or another angle that I think is just as important. And that is to say that the work of gestating birthing raising and rearing children.

not only is it labor because it is an exertion that one makes, but it is absolutely socially and economically necessary. Many times it is unwaged however we pay childcare workers. right. We pay some people pay surrogates to gest aid in birth children, and it is absolutely socially necessary to say that.

Some people because they have a childbearing capacity cannot choose to refuse that labor is to force them to do that. Labor forced pregnancy is forced labor just as the labor of socially reproducing humans is labor. And so it's a labor issue insofar as every. Worker should have the right to choose to do labor or not to do it.

Yes. So that is a, a sort of critical question that even cuts perhaps deeper than the question of terms and conditions of employment and terms and conditions of, um, everyday life. And when you look at the do's decision and. Back with a background in constitutional law in grad school, I enjoy reading Supreme court decisions and opinions, believe it or not, but it is a case where sometimes there is an opinion that is written for the court.

That is just amazing in terms of its ability to address an issue and to move the nation. As it needs to specifically, with regard to individual liberties, you look at a decision. Brown versus board of education, elegant, brief, and yet gets at the core of the issue. If anyone should take the time to read the majority of opinion, majority opinion in Dobbs, what is astounding is how much is left out?

There is no acknowledgement of women period. Women are simply dismissed. And what you were just describing is more prevalent in the dissent, which actually is just incredibly well well done in terms of its legal argument. How do you see this decision impacting women's choices about literally where they live and work, which will impact the American economy, which will impact a couple generations, at least until we can turn this tide back.

So, how do you see that that impacting, uh, women's choices as it might even impact your own choice at some. I think at this point, it's so early, we're speculating and we're thinking about, oh my gosh, there's gonna be all of these consequences that we haven't even imagined and they're gonna happen. But those who have the ability to make decisions about where they reside in which states they reside.

If they're able to reside in a state that gives them more equality. Yes. And gives them more rights. Folks will do that, but not everyone can pack up and move. Right. There's a way in which yeah, I think there will be consequences for possibly higher ed. Yeah. Where people are willing to attend a higher educational institution.

This is something I just thought of yesterday when people are deciding where to go to graduate school, they're not, they're not like young and green and you know, fresh outta high school. They're think. Wow. Should I take a really good offer from that school? That's in a state where I'm not gonna have rights over my own body.

I mean, I think there's gonna be all of these kinds of additional impacts and fallouts and, and we just don't know what those will look like yet. No, we don't. And it astounds me that Alito, in his opinion, he, he was the chief writer says, well, we've settled the question. There won't be any real impact, which is just astound.

Like you were just saying, I anticipate the potential. We don't know this is conjecture of a brain drain out of some states, which could benefit New York, but is that the kind of nation we wanna live in? And especially as you were saying, there are some who will not be able to move. Right. And, uh, that is part of the issue of injustice.

And, you know, as a union that represents faculty and professional staff, At approximately 30 institutions of higher education in SUNY, we also have professionals and faculty in academic medical centers and hospitals with these roughly 37,000 people we represent. How do you see the role of UUP in dealing with the multiple issues that will arise for our students, for our members?

This is a big deal. You're right. And our members have already been reaching out, posing some really critical and detailed questions about what does this mean for ? What does this mean when we don't have those answers? But one thing that we can, and I think we are committed as a union to doing is to being a key player in pulling together.

Everybody who needs to be there to answer those questions, whether it is people with legal backgrounds, whether it is state agencies, whether it is members of our own union who know the jobs that they do and know what they involve and entail. And so they know the permutations, we've gotta answer these questions.

We're committed to doing that. It's again, we keep saying in this conversation, it's early. We don't exactly know the follow up, but our members are critical because they're on the ground and they know what this is gonna look like. And they are coming up with all of the questions that we need to demand answers to from the folks who need to give us those answers.

Right. So what I would say to our members is we're on the case, we're doing our best and please communicate, like, share that thinking. So that we can all do this thinking together and strategize and get more answers. And I think our members need to know that it is imperative that UUP as having been a lead union on the issues of women's rights on civil rights, human rights, it is imperative that UUP take positions where we are St.

Advocates for the rights of women, um, and those who choose to bear children. And I want us as a union to push the state agencies, SUNY the governor, the legislature to make sure New York state is a sanctuary, that we are the place where women's rights are protected, defended, wherever they might come from.

Absolutely. Abso I, I think there's a bigger question to that. Emerges. What are the things we are doing, we are working on, but there's a much bigger role that labor needs to step into right now. Yeah. And again, you know, mentioned earlier that lots of big unions are, are, are taking the appropriate position.

That abortion rights are labor rights, but there's so much that we need to do to change the terms of the conversation. Because when we think about abortion rights as labor, right. There's two critical things that happen, and that allow us to shift the terms of debate, which are absolutely essential right now on the one hand, the, the mainstream discourse on abortion is that it's an individual choice that, and it's been couched in terms of Roe in the realm of privacy.

But when we think of abortion rights as labor rights, that if you decide to terminate a pregnancy, you're deciding that in all the conditions about your access to housing and healthcare and wages and childcare and all of these things. It's no longer an individual issue it's collective and it's systemic.

Yes. No one makes that decision in a vacuum. So labor needs to push that and we need to say stop leaving individuals on their own, because that's exactly what this decision does. It says we're depriving you of a right to make a choice to terminate a pregnancy. And you know what you're on your own. The second piece is that when we insist upon abortion rights as labor rights, we make it about equality.

Not about some moral question that we can debate about for centuries. We make it about a fundamental issue of equality are two workers equal . If one cannot refuse a certain kind of labor, if one cannot refuse the labor of childbearing or care work and the other can we have to move this into a question of our collective responsibility to every.

To providing the goods and ideally the public goods, we believe for a good life and for safe and healthy lives. And two, this is about equality. This isn't about debating whose version of morality is better. Actually equality is the more important question of morality. So that's the bigger question of where right now, labor is already stepping into that.

But how do we coordinate that? Just to talk about abortion rights in a completely different way and in a more appropriate. Thanks. Very much, Alyssa. All right. Thanks Brad. And now I would like to turn to assembly member Jessica Gonzalez, Roja, who joins us today and thank you very much for taking the time to be a part of our podcast.

Uh, thank you, Fred, for having me. So I would like to start with you in the same place where I started with, uh, Dr. Alyssa, Carl, and that is. . How did you react when you heard the news that the Supreme court had issued its opinion and its decision on Dobbs? Even though we knew pretty much what was coming, I'd like to know what your emotional and intellectual response was to this incredibly historic and oh, I would say devastating decision.

It was an absolute gut punch besides being a woman, a mother, an activist, and a legislator. I had spent the previous 13 years at the national Latina Institute, reproductive justice as its executive director. So I have. Spent my, basically my entire life fighting for reproductive justice, specifically for women of color for immigrant women, for trans communities, for folks who are low income folks who don't speak English, those who have historically been marginalized from the traditional women's rights movement.

And there were visions that we had. We had fought for a vision where every single person would be able to decide if. When and how to create a family and then be able to, to raise that family with dignity, if they chose to have one, and there was so much momentum in the other direction towards greater reproductive freedom, the Trump years have been devastating.

The Supreme court nominations have been absolutely devastating and ultimately we anticipated this decision, but seeing it roll out in its final stage. Devastating and traumatic. And I fear for the lives of people who can become pregnant across the country. This is essentially forced pregnancy. And I think we cannot forget that the Supreme court and the us government is forcing people to carry a pregnancy to term whether that pregnancy is something that will work in their lives or with a product of rape or incest or, you know, for whatever reasons people may not.

To carry that pregnancy to term. And that decision has been taken from them by the Supreme court. And I'm grateful to be in the position to fight as a new Yorker, as a legislator here, um, to make sure that we continue to be a safe Haven for abortion care in this country. And, and I think it's important to note that the response in New York state, amongst the leaders of New York state, from the governor to the legislature, to advocacy groups, to unions, there has been such a strong response that basically establishes the fact that yes, these rights exist in New York.

But that the struggle nationally will continue while at the same time, steps will be taken here in order to ensure that New York state remains a state where reproductive rights are a fact of life for all of those who can or choose to be pregnant, I would like you assembly member because you're the prime sponsor of the reproductive freedom and equity program bill, which would go very.

In protecting many sectors in New York state society and indeed American society who need reproductive rights and access to reproductive care. This is a major piece of legislation. It is historic. It's important. I really would like you to share with us, with our audience, what pushed you to develop this legislation and what it includes and where it stands.

Yeah. So the bill is a 1 0, 1 48 in the assembly. It is sponsored alongside Senator Cordell clear from Harlem, a black woman. Uh, who's fantastic. Uh, and it is really informed by my own experience as a reproductive justice activist and leader over the past 13 years. The right to abortion, even during the years in which we had Roe, the right to abortion was not a right for so many people because of lack of access to that.

Right. So the work I did that worked specifically with. Undocumented communities and low income communities and, uh, communities of color and trans communities. They have been largely shut out of even accessing care because of money because of terrible other laws in different states, like waiting periods and.

Forced ultrasounds and lack of access to healthcare. So my, my struggle has always been about access because the right is obviously critical. We need that codified into legislation, but we need to ensure that there's access to that right. To make it very real for our communities. The reproductive freedom and equity fund act would do that.

It would create a fund that would be administered by the department of health to do three things. One provide increased capacity to clinics and providers. Of abortion care to do everything from expanding their clinic to renovations, to recruitment of new staff and nurses and doctors who provide the care and, and midwives who can provide the care, uh, security, et cetera.

Number two, it would provide resources to those providers to cover the cost of abortion care for people who are uninsured underinsured. Or whose assurance aren't accepted by those spaces. And three, and most importantly, quite frankly, is providing grants to nonprofits that facilitate access to abortion.

And the money can be used by those nonprofits to help pay for travel childcare. Cuz I wanna remind people that most people who have abortions are already parents. Um, so travel childcare, doula care, lodging, whatever the practical needs are to ensure that people can access that care. And that means people from around the country, in the surrounding states, in which New York will be the closest provider.

And by the way, there's 280,000 people of reproductive age who live in states surrounding New York, where New York will be the closest provider. So this could be the need is gonna be. And for new Yorkers who live in abortion deserts, like we can't pretend that there's actually. Enough abortion clinics and providers in the state and there's places and particularly rural parts of the community of the state that are abortion deserts.

And we need to ensure that those folks can, you know, our farm workers can get access to abortion care and may have to travel two to three, four hours to the closest clinic or the one that has an appoint. Given the increase of, of needing decrease of capacity. So my bill is very comprehensive, um, and would address all those issues.

And it's, there's urgency of getting this done as soon as possible. Yeah, there certainly is. And, and it is impressive. Thank you for doing this work. It's really important. The question I would have is in your conversations with the governor and with your colleagues in the legislature. Let me put it this way.

How quickly do you think the bill can move in the next session? Given the governor's support and widespread support in the legislature? Yeah, I'm very grateful to the governor for her initial creation of a quite similar fund. The only challenges that she did not include the practical support piece. So the third piece I talked about that would provide grants to nonprofits.

That facilitate access to abortion care. And that piece is absolutely necessary if we truly want to be a safe access, state, a safe Haven for people seeking abortion care. So I see her fund that she created in the early days of the decision. As a great down payment, but essentially we need to codify this because certainly an executive order is one that could be temporary.

We need to get in into law statute. And again, make sure that it's part of the annual budgeting process. So there's urgency around this. I've been talking to so many colleagues, we have over 50 co-sponsors of the bill, which is excellent. People are still reaching out to get on the bill. As they're seeing the impact of this decision, I would love to see a special session called to address this.

Um, we were called back for other important business, which includes addressing gun violence and the Supreme court decision there and passing the equality amendment, which was really critical. And we need to continue to make sure that. On the ballot in 2024, but this fund is gonna be immediate and will provide the necessary relief to both the providers and clinics here in New York and to all the patients, um, in the surrounding states and within the state to get the care that they need.

What excites me about this kind of legislation is. It is not limited in scope. Um, it is broad in terms of its reach. It's ambitious. I think for far too long, even those of us on the progressive side, there hasn't been an embracing of what I consider to be concrete, legislative steps that are still ambitious and far reaching in their goals.

And in this climate facing, as we are real aggressive attempts in other states to. Abortion rights, really, in what I call heinous ways, going back to legislation laws that were passed in the 18 hundreds in some states, this is appalling. And I think it is absolutely not enough for us in New York to say, well, we're fine here, because first of all, I don't think we are, but also to provide a means by which women can exercise these rights.

We still believe in these rights that they exist and the Supreme court was wrong. Would women have the wherewithal, especially women in under-resourced and obviously predominantly communities of color, would they be able to come to New York? How far do you see the reach of this legislation spreading across the country?

Yeah, I, I appreciate what you just said, cuz I first off did not quit my job that I love, uh, to run for office to be meek. Right. right. I came and, and ran for office to be bold to address the needs of the communities that I am accountable to. And by the way, my district, the 34th assembly district, which includes neighborhoods like Jackson Heights, east Elmers Corona Woodside.

Is a population that's 62% immigrant, 88% people of color. These are folks who are uninsured. These are essential workers. These are undocumented communities that have been left out of the health system in so many ways. And thankfully we have wonderful. Public hospitals like Elmhurst hospital, that's doing, you know, life's work, but we certainly need programs and policies that are gonna include every single member of our community.

It takes bold legislation and takes bold action and bold leadership to ensure that we're fighting for those folks who have been just left out for decades. So I thank you for, for what you just said, because it's beyond being progressive. It's about. Being accountable. Yes. Um, to the communities that we represent.

I see the far reaching nature of our legislation as one that is not just a gender justice issue or a healthcare issue, but is, is a worker justice issue. It's a economic justice issue. Yeah. It's a health issue. It goes across many, many issues. I often quote Audrey Lord. Who said there's no such thing as a single issue, struggle because we do not live single issue lives the right to abortion, and to be able to shape your destiny and your future is so critical to your, your own success in life and your own trajectory.

And for me, I, I waited to have children till I was 35 because I had an exciting career. Mm-hmm , uh, I was doing so much and I was not ready to have children. Until then, and quite honestly, you know, you, I felt never really quite ready to have children, but there was a biological clock, right. yeah. But for me, at least, and it was really important to make sure that as a legislator, I really thought about those communities that I served and those communities I worked alongside as, as a leader of this nonprofit that I used to run, where I heard horrific stories of people in places like south Texas that actually had to cross the border.

Into Mexico to get care south America. um, used to say, let's look north to fight for abortion justice. Now we have to look south to see the decriminalization, the legalization of abortion in places that have historically been very resistant, very hostile. And now we're the country that's been resistant and hostile and we need to get out in the.

And make sure we're speaking to the power for all the people who can become pregnant. And I wanna name that. It's not just a women's issue. People who are non-binary and transgender, who may not identify as women can get pregnant as well, do get pregnant as well. And again, the, the bill would really have a far reaching impact to benefit the lives of communities that.

Are facing hostility in our own states and in their country to get abortion care. Yeah. And I think that those of us like myself, I identify as male, but for me, it is just as much of an issue in that. It is sometimes becomes a cliche that justice denied anywhere or to anyone as king used to say is injustice everywhere.

We are all impacted at so many levels when women do not have control over their own lives and the choices they wish to make or not make. And I just wanna point out the hypocrisy of particularly our federal government, that in a, in a country that does not provide paid family leave, or there was even a bill to provide.

Breastfeeding locations, safe, breastfeeding breaks for folks who are breastfeeding in, in the transportation system. Now that was shut down by Republicans. I mean, the hypocrisy is real. Exactly. They're only pro-life from conception until birth. And then, you know, after that you're on your own not investing in.

Education, we're not investing in job training in the ways we should. We're not investing in public health and health access and maternal care. And , you know, right. All those things that are critical to create safe and healthy families and communities. So I just really wanna underscore that. And, and again, I'm grateful to live in a state like New York that is pushing the boundaries of that.

We still have a lot more work to do, but the fact that I've gone so much. Word on my legislation. And, you know, we could really see this get done is tremendously exciting. And I think before we close, I wanted to ask you about an issue that we in new up have been aggressively advocating on. And that is the issue of maternal mortality in the African American and, and Latino communities and in indigenous communities as.

We have proposed that downstate medical university, be a center, not just on research of the scope of the issue, but to establish care within the community. So that this horrible situation, which according to the journal of American medical association has gotten worse during the period of COVID, you know, with the decision in the Dobbs case.

It brings into stark relief. The reality of, as you eloquently describe it, forced pregnancy will mean forced death for far too many women. Those numbers are going to grow. And because of your earlier work, I just would like you to, to speak to that issue. How do we deal with, with the situation where women of color are simply, they're just not counted in the, in the calculus of six Supreme court justices apparent.

Yeah, thank you so much for raising that because as a reproductive justice advocate and activist, it's not just about abortion and contraception. It's about the full range of reproductive healthcare, everything from sex ed, right? Having the right education and tools as young people to accessing a healthcare to maternal health, prenatal care, you know, and again, that needs to be fully accessible to.

All people, as you said, those who are using Indian healthcare services, those who aren't documented are trans community members are low income folks. People who use drugs, people who don't have jobs don't have homes like everyone needs access to dignified reproductive healthcare in the full. Range and scope of it.

And I'm so proud actually, that the governor signed my bill, which requires the office of mental health, uh, and department of health to conduct a study on the disparate impact regarding postpartum depression screenings, because I'm a big advocate for mental health and the intersection of maternal health and mental health has not been one we've talked about and.

Disproportionately impacted women of color and disproportionately black women and black folks. So if this would really go far to look at how maternal mental health is looked at and what tools are being used, and whether those tools are culturally competent. And addresses the real needs that communities of color face around maternal mental health and postpartum depression.

So I'm so proud that it's actually, you know, very timely. Yeah. Cause it just got, it just got signed into law. I'm so proud of the state Senator, Senator Bruch, who is a new mom herself and just an incredible. Leader and a joy to work with. Again, it, it she's upstate in Rochester on downstate in Queens and it, you just see the partnership amongst women of color and the legislature to get work like this done.

So everything from abortion care to healthcare, access to maternal mental health is. Really part of the full range of what we need to look at. And I thank you so much, U U P for looking at this issue and, and addressing it because there's a lot of stigma and not enough data and not enough attention to the crisis around maternal health and maternal mental health in this state and this country.

Congratulations on that. And it's, again, as you were saying, incredibly important legislation and a step forward, I can tell you that UUP stands ready to work with you to get, thank you. Your legislation passed. And ironically enough, we are working on a program that will be part of our podcast series. But then also some proposals we're working on having to do with mental health, especially in communities of color and to a large extent of focus on the African American community.

And this was what came out of conversations following the terrible, horrible. Terrorist attack in. Oh yes. The east side of Buffalo, this intergenerational trauma that people are suffering that needs to be addressed. And I look forward to working with you and oh, thank you've done. What we have to do the first step is having these conversations.

So thank you, Fred. And thank you. U U P for your work and your advocacy and, um, right here alongside you to do it. Thanks very much. Thank you, Fred. And now joining us is New York state Senator Cordell, clear who was elected to the New York state Senate back in November of 21. However, Senator clear is no stranger to the New York state Senate.

Having served on the staff of Senator bill Perkins for 18 years, including several years as his chief of staff. Welcome Senator clear and welcome to the voice. Thank you for joining us today. Thank you. First, I wanna commend you like others in New York state leadership positions, you have immediate. Taken steps to ensure that new Yorker's rights are protected, but also that New York in many respects be a sanctuary for women from elsewhere in this country, so that they are able to exercise their reproductive rights, which I think you and I agree those rights exist and must be protected and defended.

Perhaps, what I would like to start with is to hear, uh, you discuss the proposal that you have made and that assembly member Epstein has sponsored India assembly. And that is the bill that would require SUNY to offer abortion services on campuses. Could you give us a little bit of background on that proposal?

This is something that we know is important to young people. We want them to have, we want all women to have better access to reproductive healthcare, and we know that it can be difficult. There are a lot of barriers, including not judgements that people make, including people who even harassed. We want these services to be available for all women.

My primary concern, and this is probably relates to everything that we talk about is the fact that there was a time when women sought other ways. You're not gonna stop people from making these decision. And what I'm afraid of is women dying in back, alleys, people dying of infections unnecessarily. We don't wanna see this.

So every point that we can make it available for women, that they can make a decision over what happens to them, whatever that choice is, we wanna make sure that that's available. Do you see? And I have felt since the do's decision was announced, and even prior to when many of us had the expectation, certainly when the draft was leaked, that the court was gonna be going in this direction and upending 50 years of not only rights, but policy and an acceptance by the vast majority of Americans that this right is an important one.

And must be protect. There were some responses that were along the lines of, well we're in New York, we're gonna be okay because New York state recognizes this. Right. I prefer, as I've said earlier in this podcast, a much more aggressive approach that New York yes. Be a sanctuary. And in fact, SUNY campuses to be such a sanctuary, as we draw students from across the country, would you foresee this to be something that would be at all 64 SUNY campuses?

Or is it something where the principal needs to be established and then to have SUNY campuses or SUNY system administration handle the implementation? What would be your preference? I think that it could be left up to SUNY certain aspects of the implementation. We want this to happen quickly. And we want it to be, like I said, accessibility is the key.

As long as we're moving in a direction where, uh, folks, uh, can access these services. Definitely. I think it's always better if the institution is able to, we want them to, uh, be the ones who implement it, but we don't want any hindrances. Yes. Or any. And access to women getting care in your work, on the legislation and working with your colleagues, both in the Senate and in the assembly.

Has there been discussion about the amount of state funding that would go to support these programs at the campuses? I don't know if we have exactly, uh, discussed it on that level. And I'm sorry that I don't have that information. That fund that we ask for, which is a women's reproductive rights fund is for the purposes of supporting all of our providers and making sure that there is money available.

Our providers need money to take care of just New York. They need more support for that. And we know that women are gonna come to New York. So we wanna also be prepared for that influx of people that we suspect will be coming in to get these service. I think what is ingenious about this proposal? And I commend you for making it is as we were discussing with assembly member Gonzalez Rojas.

There are healthcare deserts. As you know, in New York state, I lived in rural SCO county. There are a lot of areas in upstate New York, like Sahari county, where services are much more restricted and are not available, but to have these services available across the campuses, many of which are in these healthcare deserts where access to abortion was.

Available. And now it would be, do you see this proposal as also providing access to our members in UUP, our faculty, our staff, and for that matter members of the, the community in the local areas? Absolutely. You know, this will increase accessibility even in New York state. And I'm glad you raised that because sometimes we think about New York and a lot of people, you know, in the five boroughs.

Myself. It's not fathomable. New York state is so vast and it's so different. There's such a great difference. And, and disparity things we complain about. I think some other municipalities would love to have problem. exactly. I'm learning as I go along the different things that we have to make sure that are provided to our whole state.

So yes, those facilities will bring care and we're happy about that to even, uh, new Yorkers. Who don't have access in their town or in their city, it would be great for the students that do come from all over the faculty and others who may come to these places to get help. We want the bill to pass at present it's in committee.

Isn't it? It, that's where it is right now. Yes, it is. Have you heard from the governor, the governor supporting this. Well, you know, when we introduced it, the governor shortly thereafter did allocate some funding that mirror, what kind of, what we were asking for in the bill. I think that's wonderful. That's good that she did that, but we are still pushing to get legislation.

We want it to be codified. We want to make sure that this is not something that will happen at the whims of a governor or that's right. Uh, we wanna make sure that this is in law and this is something that's gonna be supported in perpetuity, as long as we need to do it with the budget coming up, we plan to go at it again to see if we can get this to be codified into law, that we have a certain amount dedicated always to this.

And especially in. Of the decision that actually did come down because we introduced this before the decision was made in anticipation and preparation for if something like this were to happen. I think we were ahead of the curb on that. We just need our governor, that our leaders and both houses to.

Bring these bills to the floor we need to vote on. We need to commit to making sure that the dollars are there. And that is not something that we have to rely on. If the governor feels like it, if she has it in her budget, or he has it in the budget, we wanna make sure that this is something that is gonna be solid and it's gonna be there for our providers.

And it also sends an important message. As you said, it's not at the whim of one individual who happens to be governor. This is the legislature speaking on behalf of the people of the state of New York. It is permanently enshrined in statute. We in UUP, I will speak certainly for my fellow officers and I know our executive board and our delegates.

We have a long history of standing strong for women's rights for civil rights in general. Have you had any reaction from the leadership of SUNY on this? Are they eager to embrace it? Uh, what do we need to do to get Sunni on board? Okay. I think we need to ask. Yeah. that's it. Yeah. You know, that's something, some of, a lot of this was reactionary.

It was in the middle of so much that was going on both budget and post budget. And there was so much being mixed in with all this stadiums and right. Yeah. You know, it got caught up in the mix gun reform. We had a lot happen. Yep. And I think that now that we've. Gotten past that budget process, that session.

Well, for me anyway, being my first budget, my first session, I think now we get into the. Advocacy and coalition building. And I think we need to ask and talk to all of our allies and make sure that we're all putting pressure in the right places to make sure that folks know we're serious. This is a priority.

And that we want this to happen in this budget item. I think that we have to focus early on getting in this budget. My last conversations with my leader and some of my colleagues was about. Still something I wanna come right back and be able to get on. We're gonna have to do that. We're gonna need to do that.

Yes. Uh, as women, as women, uh, as you described earlier, I, well, uh, New York being sanctuary, uh, state for folks to come. Yes. I mean, we already the center so many things and, um, that's not gonna change and just the people we have right. Need to be served, but also people look to us to be the leaders that's right.

In these kinds of things. They really do look to New York to be the ones that speak out for whatever reason. You know, we're a beacon. We have always been a beacon of many things of opportunity of care. We just gonna have to make sure that everybody understands that. And I think it's really unique in this case.

And it's a great opportunity to have SUNY involved to me. It's really, it makes so much sense because of your campuses. And who you reach. And I think it will put you all in a different light to provide this once we're back on the ground. With this right now, I have a couple of little things I'm dealing with, like our primary in August.

So , we have to deal with those things and come back to the drawing board. But this is something that I plan to just work on fiercely and make sure that we don't let it fall off the table, wealthier more affluent women. They will always find a way to get abortion, but the, the women that will be hurt the women that will go.

To those back rooms and places like that, they deserve here and they deserve not to have to resort to those options because, uh, they will, uh, they just will, I can't think of a better way to close this episode of the voice with than what you just said. It is absolutely vital. That those of us in this state ensure that these rights and they are rights, that more than half of our population are women.

And these rights must be defended. Even when a Supreme court makes a decision that I believe is totally unjustified. It's not enough just to say the court made a mistake. We have to in fact, use every resource at our disposal to protect women's lives and their right to choice. It has been a pleasure and an honor to speak with you, Senator clear.

Uh, we look forward to working with you and, uh, making this proposal a reality going forward. And thanks for joining us. Thank you. Thank you for your patience and thank you so much for inviting me and I'm happy to have this discussion. Thank you.

And now here's three things to know the brave frontline workers at SUNY's public teaching hospitals in Brooklyn, Stony Brook and Syracuse got there due at the American Federation of teachers convention in Boston. At the event held July 14th through July 17th, UUP president Fred Ko, publicly recognized the hard work of the doctors and medical professionals who put their lives on the line to care for the COVID 19 patients who flooded the hospitals during the early days of the pandemic in 2020 a time when vaccines had yet to be developed, UUP represents more than 13,000 members at the three hospital.

Asked by AFT president Randy, we garden to talk about SUNY's hospitals. Kal told how UUP sought out and purchased tens of thousands of N 95 masks, surgical gowns, protective gloves, and other personal protective equipment in 2020, and distributed the gear to members at the time. Many healthcare workers were forced to reuse masks gallons in other protective items.

Sometimes for days at a. Some UUP members resorted to using garbage bags, to protect themselves while treating COVID patients more than 3000 delegates, including a contingent from UUP attended the convention. First lady Dr. Jill Biden addressed AFT delegates as did Senator Elizabeth Warren and secretary of labor, Marty Walsh, Chris smalls, who successfully organized Amazon's first union also spoke.

UUP successfully backed three resolutions that were approved by delegates, including a measure for AFT to support the faculty and students together program, which provides emergency assistance to students in need delegates. Also reelected wine garden, a recent guest on the voice podcast to her eighth term as AFT P.

Also reelected were secretary treasurer, Frick Ingram, and executive vice president. Evelyn de Jesus. A 1.5 million grant from the Mellon foundation will help SUNY develop and expand programs to people who are incarcerated or released from prison. The three year grant will be used to assist campuses to create college programs for current and former inmates and grow the number of state prisons served by SUNY from 20 to 30.

SUNY is the largest provider of college in prison programs in the state serving 700 students at 20 state prisons and won federal prison, but only 4.3% of incarcerated people took college courses or attended college in 2022. SUNY's higher education for the justice involved group will work with campuses on new programs and collect Postle employment and wage data to help gauge student success.

SUNY degrees will be offered in at least 25 state prisons by 2023. UUP P's dependent scholarship program, which awards scholarships each semester to SUNY students who are children of SUNY employees represented by UUP has been increased to $750. The benefit negotiated by UUP in its current contract with New York state was $500 per semester.

The scholarships can be used for books, supplies, and room and board costs, but not for. Eligible students must be enrolled at a SUNY state operated campus and can only get one scholarship each semester. Even if both parents are UUP represented employees, the scholarships are open to dependents up to age 26 for more information about the scholarships and to access application form.

Head to UUP P's website at UUP info.org/benefits/btf.php. And now here's Fred with Cole's Coda. This has not been an easy episode to put together. There have been scheduling challenges, but all I can say is that our producer, Mikey is a magic man. Additionally, I had to really. Allow our guests, our three amazing guests to speak really just for me to shut up and let them say what needed to be said.

It was like that earlier episode we did about racism in Buffalo, just as the African American people in Buffalo and everywhere else were attacked on May 14th. So were all women attacked on June 24th? Think of the gravity. Of the step taken by the Supreme court for the first time, since the infamous Dred Scott decision rights were taken away from a whole segment of our population without their consent, six unelected people did that.

And for those who celebrate America as a democracy, let's all remember that five of them five were appointed by presidents that received fewer actual votes. Then their opponents went elected George W. Bush in 2000, Donald Trump in 2016. And Trump got to a 0.3 justices. Then last week, one us Senator announced that he would not support legislation to deal with our climate crisis.

Dooming the Biden administration's ambitious. Joe mansion, who has deep links to the fossil fuel industry as does his family chose to make his announcement as the nation and the world cooked in record heat. That's irony for you. How can any of us not think that reforms of our constitutional system need to be considered right now?

A total of seven people? Have setback rights and endangered millions of lives by their decisions. If we lived in a monarchy or a dictatorship, such power in the hands of a small group would be well understood, but it's not acceptable in a democracy or one that claims to be. Again, as with countless times when Donald Trump acted in despicable ways or Republicans offer him undivided, unquestioned loyalty, I have to ask of the seven.

Have you no shame. The irony is that the court's claim to be defending unborn life is readily apparent when you consider their decision in another. Taking away nearly all of the environmental protection agencies powered to address the climate crisis. I guess the so-called unborn are to be protected until they enter this world that will be ravaged by the effects of the unfolding climate crisis, endangering their very lives.

So many troubling thoughts about our world. It must be time for me to take my annual journey into the Northern Rockies and beyond. We will be back in late August for now. Get outside when it's not too hot and stay safe and stay well. Good. And good luck you take good night. The voice podcast is a production of United university professions.

You can find UUP on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at UUP info. UUP is on the web@uupinfo.org. This. Episode was produced and directed by Mike Lei. U's director of media publications, special. Thanks to UUP director of administration, Lynn alderman. Listen,