More than 2000 advocates attend FPA’s 13th Annual Legislative Conference, which commemorates the 20th anniversary of the legalization abortion in New York. FPA organizes a New York State Campaign for Abortion Rights (NYSCAR) rally with its 600 member groups; Governor Mario Cuomo gives the keynote address.

FPA is instrumental in shaping several important pieces of legislation this year, including passage of a bill to require insurance coverage for infertility services. FPA works to ensure that health care proxy legislation does not impose a restrictive “incubator clause” on pregnant women and succeeds in amending a law to afford family planning clinics the same confidentiality protections as hospitals when filing incident reports. During a special session to deal with the state’s fiscal crisis, FPA lobbies successfully for an exemption for family planning services from a 1% assessment levied on all health facility revenues.

A flurry of anti-abortion bills are defeated at the state level, but attempts to pass parental consent laws continue nationally and in New York. FPA holds a moving press conference with parents from a state with a parental consent law, whose minor daughter died from complications of a self-induced abortion, illustrating the true danger of these laws.

The Legislature accepts the Governor’s recommendation to increase family planning funds by $2.5 million, boosting the total to $15 million. Annual funding for HIV counseling and testing by family planning clinics is continued at $4 million.