(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Arizona doctors would be able to perform abortions on their patients in California under a proposal announced Wednesday by the governor. Gavin Newsom to avoid a ban on almost all abortions In this state.
It would apply only to doctors licensed and in good standing in Arizona and their patients, and would last only through the end of November. Arizona’s 1864 law banning nearly all abortions except if the mother’s life is in danger goes into effect June 8. Newsom said protecting access to abortions is “simply a matter of basic decency” and “respect for women and girls.”
“This Arizona law is the first law from a border state that will directly impact the state of California,” the Democratic governor said. “Instead of just acknowledging that destiny and the future, we’re trying to get ahead of this law.”
Newsom joined the California Legislative Women’s Caucus and advocates announcing the proposal. Lawmakers called Arizona’s law “draconian” and said California had an obligation to get involved. The bill would have to be approved by a two-thirds vote in each chamber of the Legislature before reaching Newsom’s desk. Once she signs it, it will take effect immediately.
Dr. Tanya Spirtos, a gynecologist and president of the California Medical Association, said it’s unfortunate that abortion patients in Arizona have to travel out of state, but she’s proud to see California stepping in to help them.
“All personal medical decisions, including those related to abortion, should be made by patients in consultation with their health care providers,” Spirtos said. “By banning virtually all abortions in the state, the ruling will put doctors in harm’s way for simply providing often life-saving medical care to their patients.”
The Arizona Supreme Court cleared the way earlier this month for the near-total ban to move forward. In addition to Arizona, 14 other states They have banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy. While abortion access in California has never been under serious threat, Newsom, widely seen as a potential presidential candidate beyond 2024, has made defending that access a priority of his administration.
Newsom pushed to have abortion access enshrined in the California Constitution. Hey approved $20 million of taxpayer money to help pay for women from other states to come to California for abortions. He signed dozens of laws The goal is to make it harder for other states to investigate women who come to California for abortions, including banning social media companies comply with subpoenas or guarantees.
His actions have propelled him into major Democratic Party congressional districts despite some of the state’s other problems, including homelessness, wildfire insurance and a pair of multimillion-dollar budget deficits.
In 2022, months after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, California launched a publicly funded website to promote the state’s abortion services, including information about financial assistance for travel expenses, and letting out-of-state teens know that California does not require parental permission to obtain an abortion in the state.
It has also become a major talking point in Newsom’s role as a top surrogate for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign. Using money left over from his 2022 re-election campaign, Newsom started a political action committee he calls “ Campaign for democracy ” that has paid for billboards and television ads in Republican-led states to criticize their leaders’ attempts to ban or restrict access to abortions. In February he launched ads in several states to criticize proposals that aimed to ban out-of-state travel for abortions.
When an Alabama lawmaker introduced a bill to make it a crime to help a minor under 18 get an abortion without notifying her parents or guardians, Newsom paid for an ad showing a young woman trying to leave the state only to be detained by a police officer who demands that she take a pregnancy test.
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Associated Press writer Adam Beam contributed to this report.