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With the overturning of Roe v. Wade being a possibility, California governor Gavin Newsom is ensuring that the west coast will not waver from being a pro-choice state. Newsom made it clear that any woman seeking an abortion in California or coming from another state will be able to exercise their reproductive rights.
“We’ll be a sanctuary,” Newsom told the Associated Press. “We are looking at ways to support that inevitability and looking at ways to expand our protections.”
The California Future of Abortion Council, which was started by Newsom and consists of 40 abortion providers, created a list of 45 recommendations called “Recommendations to Protect, Strengthen, and Expand Abortion Services in California,” which is “a list of legislative, executive, and administrative actions for state policymakers to implement in order to meet the needs of people seeking abortions.”
“It is imperative that California take the lead, live up to its proclamation as a ‘Reproductive Freedom State,’ and be ready to serve anyone who seeks abortion services in the state,” read the intro of the document.
Newsom will be making room in the budget for the recommendations in the Council’s report to be implemented.
As Newsom ensures that women have reproductive rights, the Supreme Court recently heard arguments justifying the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case on Dec. 8. In this case, a Mississippi law that bans all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. This is the first case in three decades to challenge Roe v. Wade in 30 years.
“If Roe v. Wade is overturned or gutted, as most legal observers anticipate, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion, increasing the number of out-of-state patients who would find their nearest clinic in California from 46,000 to 1.4 million — a nearly 3,000 percent increase,” the Council wrote.
