With more than two dozen states poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court gives them the okay next year, California clinics and their allies in the state Legislature on Wednesday revealed a plan to make the state a “sanctuary” for those seeking reproductive care, including possibly paying for travel, lodging, and procedures for people from other states.
The California Future of Abortion Council, made up of more than 40 abortion providers and advocacy groups released a list of 45 recommendations for the state to consider if the high court overturns Roe vs. Wade — the 48-year-old decision that forbids states from outlawing abortion.
Demonstrators rally to demand continued access to abortion during the March for Reproductive Justice, Oct. 2, 2021, in downtown Los Angeles. On Wednesday Dec. 8, 2021, a group of abortion providers and advocacy groups recommended California should use public money to bring people here from other states for abortion services should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. The report has the backing of key legislative leaders, including Senate President Pro Team Toni Atkins, a Democrat. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, file)
The recommendations are not just a liberal fantasy. Some of the state’s most important policymakers helped write them, including Toni Atkins, the San Diego Democrat whom leads the state Senate and attended multiple meetings.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom started the group himself and in an interview last week with The Associated Press said some of the report’s details will be included in his budget proposal in January.
“Well be a sanctuary,” Newsom said, adding he’s aware patients will likely travel to California from other states to seek abortions. “We are looking at ways to support that inevitability and looking at ways to expand our protections.”
Abortion, perhaps more than any other issue, has divided the country for decades along mostly traditional partisan lines. A new decision overturning Roe v. Wade, that could come next summer, would be the culmination of more than 40 years of Conservative activism. But Wednesday’s report offers a first glimpse of how Democratic dominated states could respond and how the debate over abortion access would change.
California already pays for abortions for many low-income residents through the state’s Medicaid program. And California is one of six states that require private insurance companies to cover abortions, although many patients still end up paying deductibles and co-payments.
But money won’t be a problem for state-funded abortion services for patients from other states. California’s coffins have soared throughout the pandemic, fueling a record budget surplus this year. Next year, the state’s independent Legislative Analyst’s Office predicts California will have a surplus of about 31 billion dollars.
California’s affiliates of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, got a sneak preview of how people might seek abortions outside their home states this year when a Texas law that outlawed abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy was allowed to take affect. California clinics reported a slight increase in patients from Texas.
Now, California abortion providers are asking California to make it easier for those people to get to the state.
The report recommends funding — including public spending — to support patients seeking abortion for travel expenses such as gas, lodging, transportation and childcare. It asks lawmakers to reimburse abortion providers for services to those who can’t afford to pay — including those who travel to California from other states who’s income is low enough that they would qualify for state-funded abortions under Medicaid if they lived there.
A huge influx of people from other states “will definitely destabilize the abortion provider network,” said Fabiola Carrion, Interim Director for reproductive and sexual health at the national Health Law Program. She said out-of-state abortions would also likely be later term procedures, which are more complicated and expensive.
The report asks lawmakers to help clinics increase their workforce to prepare for more patients by giving scholarships to medical students who pledge to offer abortion services in rural areas, help them pay off their student loans and assist with their monthly liability insurance premiums.
Isabelle Bryan
Reporter
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