In response to the Roe v. Wade decision: a rally and march was held in downtown Buffalo on Friday evening. A rally began at 6 p.m. at Niagara Square in response to the Roe v. Wade decision. Then came a march north on Delaware, west to Elmwood, then back to City Hall. Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state lawmakers point out New York State is, as they put it, a "safe harbor" for anyone who seeks and needs access to abortion providers. Albany officials say it has been that way since 1970 when the Rockefeller Administration signed into law those protections, and Hochul cemented that point about 10 days ago when she approved another package of such measures to strengthen abortion rights. Hochul affirmed those points while speaking at a rally in New York City, as she used that harbor theme in a rhetorical flourish. "We're protecting our providers," she said. "We're making sure insurance companies are covering abortion services. We're giving money to support our providers because we know that with the Statue of Liberty, the Statue of Liberty is in our Harbor, and she'll always be there with that torch to say, 'When your rights are oppressed, you know where to come. You come to New York.' " She added: "So our providers will take care of you and treat you with the rights that we believe you have here in the State of New York." Hochul has also pledged $35 million in taxpayer funding for support of abortion providers around the state. It's not clear exactly how that money will be used. That is drawing criticism from some Republican state lawmakers like Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt of Lockport, who said: "Albany politicians will sadly use this ruling to fear-monger and weaponize this issue for their own political gain. They will also attempt to expand abortion laws even further, forcing taxpayers to fund abortions, including late term abortions, for non-New Yorkers." Another Republican state senator from Long Island says he will introduce legislation to block any use of state funding to assist out of state women to come to New York for the procedure. Some conservatives have also questioned the commitment of the state and federal authorities to investigate the recent fire-bombing and vandalism at the Compass Care pregnancy center in Amherst with claims the attack is linked to an extremist abortion rights group. That investigation is ongoing. State Attorney General Letitia James called this court ruling a "vicious, dangerous, and deliberate attack on a basic freedom." She added: "I will work tirelessly to ensure that low-income New Yorkers and people from hostile states have access to the care they need and deserve. I will always fight to protect our right to make decisions about our own bodies and expand access to this critical and lifesaving care." https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/safe-harbor-new-york-kathy-hochul-letitia-james-stress-abortion-rights-focus/71-9a90e797-786f-4fa0-932e-14e9309cda89