California is looking to become a sanctuary state for abortion rights in the event Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court.
A proposal supported by Governor Gavin Newsom and other California leaders was released by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund Wednesday that outlines several steps the state can take to increase funding and access to abortions. Among them is a program for low-income women who travel from out-of-state to get the procedure. Almost two-dozen states are poised to outlaw or severely restrict abortion if the Court upholds a Mississippi law that bans the procedure in most cases after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
"It is imperative that California policymakers begin acting upon these policy recommendations and preparing the state to serve potentially millions more people seeking abortion care as other states adopt extreme bans on an essential health service," the report from the California Future of Abortion Council says. "California must build upon its existing protections, innovate, and implement bold programs and policies to truly be a Reproductive Freedom State."
On December 1, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case over a restrictive abortion law in Mississippi enacted in 2018. After the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, Mississippi raised the stakes and argued that the justices should not only uphold the law but also invalidate Roe v. Wade.