In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last summer, New York City Council member Vickie Paladino awarded $10,000 in discretionary funds to Bridge to Life, a Queens-based anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center, for the 2023 budget cycle.
Across the five boroughs, there are at least 11 crisis pregnancy centers in operation, outnumbering abortion clinics. Such centers, which pose as health clinics with the intention of persuading women not to get abortions, put poor and working-class immigrant women at risk, pro-choice advocates told Documented’s Labor Reporter, Amir Khafagy
Many of these centers are located in heavily immigrant communities, like Mott Haven in the Bronx and Jackson Heights in Queens, says Elizabeth Estrada, who works at the Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice as its New York field and advocacy manager. She said that these centers prey on Latina women seeking abortions.
Another advocate, Aviva Zadoff, who serves as the director of advocacy and volunteer engagement with the National Council of Jewish Women New York, said anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, like Bridge to Life, specifically target vulnerable immigrant women who have few options.
They tend to “target low-income people, and non-native speakers; people who are attracted to a place that is offering free services,” she said. Zadoff added that City Council member Paladino was “essentially using taxpayer’s money to support an institution that lies to people and intimidates people and works to deceive people.”
City Council member Vickie Paladino’s anti-choice stance is not new. Back in 2018, anti-abortion group Personhood NY endorsed Paladino when she ran for the New York State Senate. But since the Supreme Court’s controversial decision, Paladino’s stance has recently only stood out more.
This is also not the first time City Council members discretionary funds to Bridge to Life. Read the full report from Amir Khafagy on Documented.
This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
STORIES WE ARE FOLLOWING
New York
Candlelight vigil in New York honored California shooting victims: Organizers said it was a reminder to ask painful questions about the long-neglected mental health issues in the AAPI community, especially for first-generation immigrants. — Documented
Around the U.S.
New research shows the key role immigrants play in 13 states’ healthcare workforces: Between 2017 and 2021, many of those states saw an increase in online job postings for unique healthcare worker positions, indicating growing demand. — American Immigration Council
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Why New York City’s best won’t be enough to solve the migrant crisis: New York has long welcomed immigrants, but the city has struggled as they arrived rapidly over the past year without the traditional pathways to integration. — The New York Times
Washington D.C.
USCIS changes could significantly reduce immigration wait times: USCIS has implemented policy and operational improvements to reduce the number of pending cases and overall processing times. — NBC 7 San Diego
Advocates want Biden to highlight new Americans in State of the Union: Political division might be an obstacle to immigration reform, but a strong negotiating effort by the president might make a difference, advocates said. — Border Report
Republicans slam Biden’s handling of the US-Mexico border in hearing: They also laid the groundwork for an impeachment case against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in the first hearing on immigration since taking control of the House. — CNN
