California Gov. Gavin Newsom answered questions at a news conference in Los Angeles on June 9. (AP Photo / Richard Vogel / File)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a new law to strengthen abortion rights in the state, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Rowe against Wade.
As he signed the bill, Newsom described feeling “angry, determined and angry.”
“It would never have happened if men were the ones giving birth to babies – never – and you know that, and I know that. Every damn person knows that. And this is the elephant in the room, “Newsom said. “Because women are treated as second-class citizens in this country. Women are treated as less than. Women are not as free as men. That sucks. “
California’s new law, passed by the state legislature on Thursday, will create a protective shield against any potential civil action originating outside the state for anyone who performs, assists or receives an abortion in the state. AB 1666 will protect not only California residents, but anyone who visits the state and seeks reproductive health care.
The new law is just one of more than a dozen bills that are making their way through the legislature to strengthen and protect access to abortion. Other proposed bills will seek to focus on the root causes of reproductive health inequalities, improve confidentiality protection and allow qualified nurses to perform abortions in the first trimester.
Anger at the court’s opinion is not limited to Newsom.
“This solution is unique. It is historical. This is unprecedented in a terribly tragic way, “said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “This decision is an attack on privacy, freedom, self-determination and equality. This decision is an attack on women. This is an attack on women’s equality. It’s an attack on pregnant people. “
Bonta and Newsom were joined by other lawmakers determined to strengthen state laws and ensure that women in other states with more restrictive laws know they can come to California to seek health care.
“California is a safe haven for those seeking abortion care. Abortion remains completely legal in California. Today’s decision does not affect the laws of our country. “You have the right to an abortion here,” Bonta said. “In California, we refuse to turn back the clock and allow radical ideologies to take control of your body.
“This is a gloomy day for our little girls and all our children, who will now come of age in a nation with fewer rights, fewer freedoms and less protection than the generations before them,” Bonta said in a trembling voice. “It’s not progress.”
California has also introduced an amendment adding reproductive health care as a fundamental right to the state constitution, which will be released to voters in November.
The amendment reads: “The state must not deny or interfere with the individual’s reproductive freedom in making the most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives. This section is intended to strengthen the constitutional right to privacy guaranteed by Section 1 and the constitutional right not to be denied the same protection guaranteed by Section 7. Nothing here restricts or restricts the right to privacy or equal protection. . ”
“I hope, if nothing else, this decision will wake people up,” said the governor of California.
“It’s not just about choice, it’s not just about reproductive freedom,” Newsom insisted, referring to equality in marriage, interracial marriage and the rights of transgender people. “Next they come after you,” he warned.
Add Comment