California lawmakers advanced a proposal on Monday that sets up a ballot initiative in this fall’s midterm elections, allowing voters to explicitly include the right to obtain an abortion in the state constitution.
The measure was voted upon days later The U.S. Supreme Court invalidated abortion rights protectionsThis was the 1973 decision. Roe v. Wade. As a result of the High Court’s ruling, individual states are now in charge of determining whether or not abortion rights will be recognized within their jurisdictions.
26 states have implemented or are planning to implement abortion bans. Meanwhile, California and a number of other states are hoping to become sanctuaries where abortion rights are protected — not just for their own residents, but for Residents of restricted states throughout the country.
The right to have an abortion is already recognized in the Golden StateHowever, the Supreme Court has also established a general right to privacy standard for state courts. Roe This decision was made almost 50 years ago. State legislators passed the constitutional ballot measure — which includes a clear inclusion of abortion rights in its text — in order to ensure that abortion rights cannot be undermined by the whims of far right judges and justices in the future.
“While for now we may feel safe here in California, we cannot rest on our laurels,” state Rep. Sabrina Cervantes said. “It is only a matter of time before this will directly affect you and the people you love.”
“California remains steadfast in the right of individuals to access abortion care. That’s what we explicitly want to make sure continues to be the case, no matter who’s in office, no matter who the judge is,” added state Sen. Toni G. Atkins (D), President Pro Tempore of the State Senate.
The amendment to be considered by voters says that the state “shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.”
California is not the only state pushing a ballot initiative that voters can consider regarding abortion rights. In Vermont, a similar initiative is being submitted to voters for them to decide. However, that measure uses the phrase “personal reproductive autonomy” rather than explicitly saying that abortion rights will be protected
The measure in California is likely to pass, as most of the state’s residents back abortion rights. A poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California back in May found that more than three-quarters (76 percent) of state residents opposed the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Over the weekend, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law that grants additional protections to abortion providersThey are protected from civil liability in the event that California residents who have been punished for providing abortions are allowed to obtain one in California.
“California must do everything it can to protect the fundamental rights of all women — in California and beyond,” Newsom said in a statement regarding the law.
