Congressman PAT RYAN, Attorney General Letitia James, Planned Parenthood, State & Local Officials Fight to Protect Reproductive Freedom in the Hudson Valley AMID Ongoing Attacks FROM Trump Administration

June 15, 2026 Press Release Congressman Pat Ryan, Attorney General Letitia James, Planned Parenthood, State & Local Officials Fight to Protect Reproductive Freedom in the Hudson Valley Amid Ongoing Attacks from Trump Administration Congressman Pat Ryan and Attorney General Letitia James joined New York elected officials and health care providers in Kingston to discuss their ongoing efforts to protect reproductive freedom amid growing attacks by the Trump Administration Ryan recently reintroduced his Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act, landmark legislation protecting access to the life-saving medication mifepristone KINGSTON, NY – Today, Congressman Pat Ryan and Attorney General Letitia James were joined by New York officials and health care providers to discuss their efforts to protect reproductive freedom amid growing attacks from the Trump Administration, and to announce/mark the reintroduction of Ryan’s Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act. Ryan and James were also joined by Wendy Stark of Planned Parenthood of Greater NY and Lizzy Hinkley of Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, who shared the challenges patients and providers are facing amid these attacks on reproductive rights. “I risked my life in combat to protect fundamental American freedoms. That includes a woman’s right to choose. These deeply personal and private medical decisions should be made by women, their health care providers, and their families, not by extremist judges or politicians,” said Congressman Pat Ryan . “Overturning Roe v. Wade wasn’t enough for Republicans. Now, the Trump Administration is trying everything they can to restrict access to abortion, including going after doctors right here in our own community, but we’re fighting back. I was proud to stand alongside my colleagues to make clear to women in New York seeking reproductive care and the doctors providing it: we’ve got your back.” “Reproductive freedom is under attack across the country, but here in New York, we are not backing down from the fight to protect patients’ deeply personal medical decisions,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “My office will continue to use every tool available to preserve access to abortion care, defend providers from intimidation and legal attacks, and ensure that anyone who seeks reproductive health care in our state can do so safely and freely. I thank Congressman Ryan for his partnership and for fighting to protect access to mifepristone and other essential reproductive health care.” “As political attacks against mifepristone and telemedicine abortion access continue, federal action is urgently needed to keep medication abortion available to patients and out of the hands of the courts and politicians. Mifepristone is an incredibly safe, evidence-based, and reliable medication that has been widely used for more than 25 years. More than 7.5 million patients have used Mifepristone since it was FDA approved in 2000 – and it must remain accessible,” said Lizzy Hinkley, Legal Director, Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine. “On behalf of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, I’m incredibly grateful to Congressman Pat Ryan for reintroducing the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act. This critical legislation would place medical matters back where they belong: in the hands of doctors and an independent FDA, not at the whims of partisan judges and extremist politicians. The whiplash of the last week only proves that we need to cement medication abortion access permanently – the exact intent of the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act.” “Across the country, groups and lawmakers working to ban abortion have repeatedly targeted mifepristone as part of their broader effort to roll back reproductive freedom. Using mifepristone for medication abortion is safe, effective, and backed by decades of research. The Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act, as re-introduced by Congressmember Pat Ryan, would help protect patients’ access to medication abortion and ensure providers can continue offering this care through telehealth,” said Wendy Stark, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York. “At a time when sexual and reproductive health care is under increasing attacks that threaten patient access to care, Congress must take action to safeguard access to medication abortion. Planned Parenthood of Greater New York is proud to support the reintroduction of this legislation and urges lawmakers to stand with patients and providers by advancing it without delay.” “Reproductive freedom is not an abstract idea — it is essential to people's health, safety, and well-being, and I'm proud to stand alongside Congressman Pat Ryan and State Attorney General Tish James in this fight to protect this essential freedom,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “Here in Ulster County, we’ve seen firsthand how out‑of‑state extremists have tried to target our providers simply for delivering safe, legal care, and we will always stand firmly against those attacks. During the first Trump administration, I helped pass the Reproductive Health Act and other critical protections as a State Senator — protections now enshrined in our State Constitution — but state protections are not enough, and I am grateful to Congressman Ryan for his leadership at the federal level on the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act. Ulster County will continue to do our part to safeguard access to care and support every person who needs reproductive health services.” “I commend Congressman Pat Ryan for reintroducing the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act. It's about protecting real people in our communities. With reproductive rights under threat across the country, we’re standing together with advocates and providers to defend access to essential health care and affirm that decisions about reproductive rights belong to patients, not politicians,” said Dutchess County Legislature Chair Valdés Smith. Ryan recently reintroduced his legislation, the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act , which would reaffirm that a non-political, scientific Food and Drug Administration (FDA), not extremist courts or politicians, has clear and pre-emptive authority to regulate abortion medication, including mifepristone, which was deemed safe and approved by the FDA in 2000. Just last week, Trump’s Food and Drug Administration confirmed it has launched its study of mifepristone, a step that could soon allow the Trump administration to restrict its distribution. In addition to protecting access to this life-saving medication across the country, Ryan’s bill would also protect doctors’ ability to prescribe medication abortion via telehealth. Ryan last introduced the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act when his friend and NY-18 constituent Dr. Maggie Carpenter was sued by Texas AG Ken Paxton for prescribing mifepristone to a Texas woman via telehealth, in violation of a Texas state ban that has since been unanimously overruled by the United States Supreme Court. Congressman Ryan is an outspoken champion for reproductive health care and abortion rights. He is a Member of the Pro-Choice Caucus in the House of Representatives, a group of Members of Congress working to preserve, protect and advance policies that ensure reproductive autonomy. Ryan is a co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act , which would create a statutory right for health care providers to provide abortion care and for patients to receive that care, the EACH Act , which requires federal health care programs to provide coverage for abortion services and requires federal facilities to provide access to those services, and the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act , which protects the constitutional right to travel across state lines, including for reproductive health care. ### Issues : Ensuring Safety for All Freedom for All