California seeks to spend $200 million in state funding so anyone, of any age, residence or immigration status can have their abortions paid for at anytime during a pregnancy. The package includes protections from criminal and civil liabilities, private medical records and expands birth control access.
The details of the bill were released on Governor Newsom’s website.
“We’re doing everything we can to protect people from any retaliation for accessing abortion care while also making it more affordable to get contraceptives,” Governor Newsom said. “Our Legislature has been on the frontlines of this fight, and no other legislative body in the country is doing more to protect these fundamental rights – I’m proud to stand with them again and sign these critical bills into law.”
Bill AB 657 will “expedite licensure for health care practitioners that come to California to provide abortion care services.” Licensing boards are prohibited from revoking a medical license for “performing an abortion in accordance with the licensee’s practice act.”
Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris created the “Reproductive Health Scholarship Corps to recruit, train and retain a diverse workforce of health care professionals who will provide reproductive health services in underserved areas of the state.”
Assemblymember Cristina Garcia established the “Reproductive Justice and Freedom Fund to provide comprehensive reproductive/sexual health education, inclusive of abortion care, to disproportionately impacted communities.”
Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel, was quoted in the bill as well to express her gratitude to the Governor and the California legislature.
“No person should be denied abortion care,” Newsom said, “We will not accept the status quo of rendering women powerless to determine their own destiny. In California, we trust women, we believe in women, and we see their value beyond their reproductive capabilities.”
The allocated $200 million will be put toward paying for travel costs, uninsured care “and more.”
Lila Rose, founder and president of the anti-abortion organization Live Action, made a statement on Twitter about the new bill package.
“Newsom is destroying my beautiful state, fighting daily to make it a more hostile and violent place for life,” Rose wrote.
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