New York’s Governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, recently announced that the new abortion policy “will ensure a women’s right to make her own decision.” The law states the mothers are allowed to abort the fetus IF the fetus will not survive on its own. The law used to state that the fetus could be aborted only if the mother’s life was at risk. The legislation also removes abortion from the criminal code and clarifies that a range of medical professionals, not just licensed physicians, can perform the procedure.

The law says “reasonable and good faith professional judgment based on the facts of the patient’s case” — “the patient is within twenty-four weeks from the commencement of pregnancy, or there is an absence of fetal viability, or the abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s life or health.” So a mother cannot abort a fetus if it is past the first trimester without cause or reason.

During the State of the Union, Trump seemed to confuse many Americans by saying “Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life,” and “Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world,”; however, he didn’t clarify that the law states only in extreme circumstance where the mothers life is at risk or the baby cannot live outside the womb on its own.