Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation protecting New York telehealth doctors from anti-abortion states on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

The Democratic governor described the new law as a direct challenge to states that have dramatically limited or outright outlawed abortions following the bombshell 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson.

“We’re ready for battle,” Hochul said at a Friday event in Manhattan.

“Lady Liberty will have more than a torch in her hand – she’ll have a shield in her hand.”

The law bars police and courts in the Empire State from cooperating with out-of-state legal actions against doctors who provide legal medical services – including abortion – via telehealth services.

“Our state is a longstanding safe harbor for those seeking refuge and the Shield Act provides necessary protection to doctors who are providing critical reproductive health care to women across our country,” state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) said.

More than a dozen states have effectively banned abortions over the past year – and other states could follow depending on how court challenges shape up.

New York Democrats have responded at the state level with a series of legislative moves that include stockpiling prescription drugs, boosting abortion access at public colleges as well as passing a shield law protecting doctors who perform abortions for people who physically come to the Empire State.

The latest law sponsored by Assemblywoman Karine Reyes (D-Bronx) and state Sen. Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers) was approved by Assembly Democrats earlier this week after it passed the state Senate in late May.

New York City has also taken action to expand access to reproductive health for residents and out-of-staters alike, including the beginning of free medical abortions at city health clinics.

An “Abortion Access Hub” has served nearly 2,000 people since November that has served at least 400 calls from people outside New York – particularly Texans, according to a Friday press release from Mayor Eric Adams.

“One year ago, the highest court in the nation committed the ultimate assault on women’s rights as they sought to strip Americans of their right to control their own bodies. But in the one year since this battle on reproductive rights was lost, the war continues on,” Adams said Friday.

But not everyone is happy about the state’s newly solidified status as an abortion safe haven.

“The state is opening a dangerous door by offering protections in situations that violate the laws of other states,” Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay (R-Fulton) said on Tuesday after the bill passed his chamber.

“Today, we’re talking about abortion – which Democrats are determined to expand at all costs.” “But it’s troubling to think of where the slippery slope might take us next. This is what happens when New York’s liberal elite assume they know better than everyone else in the country.”