Newsom signs new law to protect abortion in California

Adam Beam Associated Press

SACRAMENTO — California Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen new abortion laws on Tuesday, including some that deliberately clash with restrictions in other states. v. Wade was flipped.

Most abortions are now illegal in 13 states, and others, including Texas, Oklahoma, and Idaho, can sue those who perform or assist in abortions. Meanwhile, Democratic-led states like California, New York and Connecticut have created and passed laws to make abortion easier. state.

California and Oregon, in particular, are prepared to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to cover travel, lodging, childcare, and other costs, so it’s likely that more people will travel for abortions in the next few years. Newsom on Tuesday signed a number of laws designed to thwart investigations from other states seeking to prosecute or punish California’s abortion providers and volunteers. did.

The law blocks out-of-state subpoenas and gives the state insurance board the power to punish health insurance companies for leaking information about abortions to out-of-state entities. They prohibit police or businesses from cooperating with out-of-state investigations into abortions legally obtained in California. It also protects inmates from other states’ anti-abortion laws.

“With an alarming number of states continuing to outlaw abortion and criminalize women, it’s more important than ever to fight desperately for those who need these essential services.” said Newsom in a news release announcing the signing.

If another state tries to enforce its law against someone in California, and California officials say they can’t do it, “there are a lot of gray areas about who’s right in the situation.” said Mary Ziegler, Martin Luther King, a junior professor of law at the University of California, Davis.

“When states talk about applying criminal law across borders, there isn’t much guidance on how that might play out,” Ziegler said.

It’s not just California. Democratic governors of Colorado, North Carolina, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, Rhode Island and Maine sign executive orders aimed at protecting abortion providers and volunteers Did. Connecticut was the first state to pass a law protecting abortion providers and others, signed in May before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned her Roe v. Wade decision.

Newsom earlier this year signed legislation blocking the enforcement of out-of-state court judgments against doctors and volunteers who performed abortions legally obtained in California. Each state seeks to give “full faith and credit” to the laws of all other states.

California Democrats say the law is legal because a federal court granted some exceptions to its provisions, such as when one state’s law violates another state’s public policy.
Still, legal uncertainty can hamper those working in the abortion field, Ziegler said.

“What that means is that people from California will have trouble traveling to many places, especially if the verdict is against them,” she said.

Polls show that a majority of California voters, including Republicans, support abortion protection, making it difficult for opponents to block such legislation. Still, California Family Council President Jonathan Keller said the group is “investigating which of these laws are ripe for challenge in court.”

One of the early candidates: A law that requires religious employers to inform their employees about publicly available abortion services. Keller pointed to an earlier California law in 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court directed crisis pregnancy centers to inform patients about their abortion services.

Newsom is set to sign legislation this week authorizing as much as $20 million in public spending to help women from other states come to California for abortions, and Keller said he and his group are most concerned. said that he is

“He’s not advising (women) to get state-funded travel for work and childbirth if they live in a county or state with low maternal mortality, but rather a taxpayer’s They say you can come here with a dime and end the pregnancy,” Keller said.

Democratic Rep. Christina Garcia said California’s new law would save lives, saying that the abortion ban would not stop abortion and would “remove marginalized communities of color, low-income communities, transgender, and others.” Abortions are dangerous and deadly for the affected communities,” he added. We are committed to becoming a nation of refuge for all who seek abortion. ”

Most of the legislation Newsom signed into law on Tuesday is the future of California abortion, a group of 46 civil servants and abortion rights groups who began planning last year about what to do if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Inspired by the council.

Newsom approved some of the group’s ideas on Tuesday.