New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday was among the 22 state attorneys general pledging to protect access to abortion services in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court last week ruled to over turn Roe v. Wade. 

Opponents of abortion, meanwhile, acknowledge that changing the law in New York remains a challenge, but one they will work to embrace. 

The decision by the court has led to a patchwork of evolving abortion policies at the state level. Some states have already moved to ban abortion in many circumstances outright while it will remain legal elsewhere, including in New York. 

James, who recently said she had had an abortion years ago, said in a joint statement with state attorneys general she remained committed to "supporting and expanding access to abortion care nationwide."

“While this is a perilous moment for our nation, it is a moment that calls for action," the joint statement said. "Our promise to our residents is simple: We’ll never stop defending your rights. Regardless of the decision in Dobbs, broad access to abortion remains protected in states that recognize reproductive freedom, such as ours. We refuse to go back to the days of politicians trying to tell people what to do with their bodies. When it comes to abortion care, it’s your body and your right to choose. Nobody else gets to make those decisions."

Attorneys general at the state level can play a key role in how abortion policy is shaped going forward. In New York, state lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul agreed to measures meant to strengthen legal protections for women who come to New York seeking an abortion as well as for abortion service providers. 

Some lawmakers are also considering legislation that would enable public funding for low-income women to travel to New York to receive an abortion -- a measure opposed by Republicans. 

Advocates on the other side of the abortion debate, meanwhile, are also planning for the post-Roe world. Republicans running for statewide office have insisted current policy won't change. But some advocates who oppose abortion signaled they will map out a national strategy. 

“Today’s decision marks the beginning of a new stage of the pro-life movement in America," said Jason McGuire, the executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms after the Supreme Court's ruling Dobbs v. Jackson was handed down. "Pro-life advocates must peacefully and prayerfully make the case for life in every statehouse in the country and offer practical helps to the moms who choose life for their little ones. We must keep fighting until the lives of unborn babies are fully protected in law, and the notion of abortion becomes so abhorrent that no mother would willfully choose it for her child. Here in New York, the struggle will be an uphill one, but we embrace the challenge."