Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to allow Arizona doctors to provide abortions in California
Arizona doctors could give their patients abortions in California under a proposal announced Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom to circumvent a ban on nearly all abortions in that state.
It would apply only to doctors licensed in good standing in Arizona and their patients, and last only through the end of November. Arizona's 1864 law banning nearly all abortions except if the mother's life is in jeopardy takes effect June 8.
UPDATE: Arizona House votes to repeal 1864 abortion law, measure now heads to the state Senate
"Arizona Republicans continue to put women in danger—embracing a draconian law passed when Arizona was a territory, not even a state," Newsom said in a statement. "California will not sit idly by."
What’s happening in Arizona and states across the country is sickening.
— Eleni Kounalakis (@EleniForCA) April 24, 2024
While extremists are working to ban abortion and take away women’s rights, I’m proud to stand with @CAgovernor @CaWomensCaucus @PPActionCA to say enough is enough. California will continue to expand… pic.twitter.com/Khd3nlEpBf
Besides Arizona, 14 other states 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 for abortion access to be enshrined into the California Constitution. He approved $20 million of taxpayer money to help pay for women in other states to come to California for abortions. He signed dozens of laws aimed at making it harder for other states to investigate women for coming to California for abortions, including banning social media companies from complying with subpoenas or warrants.
His actions have endeared him to the Democratic Party's core constituencies despite some of the state's other problems — including homelessness, wildfire insurance, and a pair of multibillion-dollar budget deficits.
In 2022, months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, California launched a publicly-funded website to promote the state's abortion services, including information about financial help for travel expenses and letting teenagers in other states know that California does not require them to have a parent's permission to get an abortion in the state.
Two days after the ruling, Newsom partnered with the governors of Oregon and Washington to issue a multi-state commitment promising to defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives.
Abortion has also become a chief talking point in Newsom's role as a top surrogate of President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. Using money left over from his 2022 reelection campaign, Newsom started a political action committee he calls the " Campaign for Democracy " that has paid for billboards and TV ads in Republican-led states to criticize their leaders' attempts to outlaw or restrict access to abortions. In February, he launched ads in multiple states to criticize proposals there that aimed to prohibit out-of-state travel for abortions.
He also signed more than a dozen new abortion laws protecting women's reproductive rights and ordered the state to end its contract with Walgreens after the pharmacy giant indicated it would not sell an abortion pill by mail in some conservative-led states.
When an Alabama lawmaker introduced a bill to make it a crime to help someone under 18 get an abortion without telling their parents or guardians, Newsom paid for an ad depicting a young woman trying to leave the state only to be stopped by a police officer who demands that she take a pregnancy test.
Dave Pehling contributed to this report.