California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law Friday that will strengthen abortion rights in the state, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
While signing the bill, Newsom described himself as “pissed, determined and angry”.
“This would never happen if men were the ones who would have babies — someday — and you know it, and I know it. Every damn human knows that. And that’s the elephant in the room,” Newsom said. “Because women in this country are treated as second class citizens. Women are treated as less than. Women are not as free as men. That is fucking sick.”
California’s new law, passed by the state legislature on Thursday, will create a protective shield against any potential civil action from out of state for anyone who performs, assists or receives an abortion in the state. AB 1666 will protect not only California residents, but everyone who visits the state and seeks reproductive health care.
The new law is just one of more than a dozen bills to pass through the legislature aimed at strengthening and protecting access to abortion. Other proposed bills would focus on root causes of reproductive health inequalities, improve privacy protections, and enable qualified nurses to provide first-trimester abortions.
The anger at the court’s opinion was not limited to Newsom.
“This decision is unique. It’s historic. It’s unprecedented in a terribly tragic way,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “This decision is an attack on privacy, on freedom, on self-determination, on equality. This decision is an attack on women. It is an attack on women’s equality. It is 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 stricter laws know they can come to California to seek health care.
“California is a safe haven for people seeking abortion care. Abortion remains completely legal in California. Today’s decision does not affect the laws of our state. You’re entitled to an abortion here,” Bonta said. “In California, we refuse to turn back the clock and let radical ideologies control your body.”
“This is a dark day for our little girls and all of our children who will now come of age in a country with fewer rights, fewer freedoms and less protection than generations before them,” Bonta said in a trembling voice. “That’s not progress.”
California has also tabled an amendment adding reproductive health care as a fundamental right in the state’s constitution, which will be presented to voters in November.
The amendment reads: “The state shall not deny or hinder an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, including their fundamental right to choose an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives. This section is intended to promote the constitutional right to privacy guaranteed by section 1 and the constitutional right not to be denied equal protection guaranteed by section 7. Nothing herein shall limit or restrict the right to privacy or equal protection.”
“I hope this decision wakes people up,” the California governor said.
“This isn’t just about choice, it’s not just about reproductive freedom,” Newsom emphasized, referring to marriage equality, interracial marriage and transgender rights. “They’re coming after you,” he warned.
