Abortion Access Briefs: West Coast States Response to Overturning Roe v. Wade; Providers from Abortion Bans by Other States

West Coast States Launch Multi-State Commitment to Reproductive Freedom

SACRAMENTO – The governors of California, Oregon and Washington June 24, issued a Multi-State Commitment to defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, and committed to protecting patients and doctors against efforts by other states to export their abortion bans to our states.

This Multi-State Commitment affirms the governors’ commitment in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s unprecedented decision to strip away a constitutional right that has been in place for half a century, leaving abortion regulation to the states. The sweeping decision means that for patients in more than half the country, home to 33.6 million women, abortion care is illegal or inaccessible.

A copy of the Multi-State Commitment to Reproductive Freedom can be found here.

California Protects Women and Providers from Abortion Bans by Other States

SACRAMENTO – On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Gov. Gavin Newsom June 24, signed legislation to help protect patients and providers in California against radical attempts by other states to extend their anti-abortion laws into California.

The Governor signed AB 1666 by Assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), which seeks to protect those in California from civil liability for providing, aiding, or receiving abortion care in the state. The measure comes as lawmakers in Missouri advance a proposal to allow private citizens to sue Missouri residents who have an abortion out of state, as well as their providers and anyone who assists them in seeking an abortion. Texas has enacted a six-week ban on abortion with a private right of action enabling individuals to sue abortion providers and others. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has introduced a federal bill to exclude employers from receiving tax breaks if they provide abortion access to their employees.

Twenty-six states across the nation, where 33.6 million women live, have laws to ban or severely restrict abortion. Twenty-two states have enacted measures to ban abortions:

Four additional states already restrict abortion and are likely to have bans in effect soon: