If federal abortion protections are eliminated or severely weakened-- as legal experts expect -- a cascade of absolute bans will follow in more than a dozen states.
California lawmakers intend to buck the trend. Gov. Gavin Newsom aims to make the state a "sanctuary" for out-of-state abortion seekers -- even proposing to use state funds to defray their travel costs.
Newsom has already signed into law a measure eliminating out-of-pocket costs for Californians. The state Legislative Women's Caucus has also introduced a 13-bill package to further cut barriers to access and protect patient and provider rights. Some of the bills would provide financial assistance to women traveling to California to terminate their pregnancies, and legally protect the doctors who treat them.
Cal Matters reports that state abortion clinics are building new facilities closer to transit hubs and training more staff.
Also, according to Cal Matters, Planned Parenthood, which operates about half of the 165 abortion clinics in California, reports that it has treated at least 80 out-of-state patients per month on average since September. That’s when Texas adopted a law allowing residents to seek civil damages against anyone who aids an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy
