New York Attorney General Issues Guidance on Shield Law Protections for Abortion and Gender-Affirming Care
New York Attorney General Letitia James has released comprehensive guidance detailing the state's Shield Law protections for individuals receiving, providing, or assisting with abortion and gender-affirming care. This guidance aims to inform patients, healthcare providers, attorneys, and businesses about their rights and responsibilities under the law. New York's original Shield Law, enacted after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, prohibits government entities from aiding out-of-state efforts to penalize protected healthcare. In December 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed Shield Law 2.0, expanding protections to a wider range of providers, including therapists and mental health practitioners, and establishing procedures for disclosing protected health information. The guidance clarifies that state officials, law enforcement, and courts cannot enforce subpoenas, warrants, or extradition requests that seek to punish protected healthcare, and New York courts cannot consider such care as e...