California is planning to become a sanctuary for women seeking an abortion — if the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to overturn the historic Roe v. Wade case.
According to the Associated Press, on Wednesday (Dec. 8), the California Future of Abortion Council, which consists of more than 40 abortion providers and advocacy groups, released a list of recommendations for Calfornia to consider if Roe v. Wade, a law forbidding states from banning abortion, is overturned. Some of the proposals listed include the state increasing investments in abortion funds and ensuring that costs won’t be a barrier to abortion-related services.
Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom told AP that some pro-abortion measures will be included in his budget proposal next month. “We’ll be a sanctuary,” he said, adding that he knows women will likely travel to California from other states to pursue abortions. “We are looking at ways to support that inevitability and looking at ways to expand our protections.”
As REVOLT previously reported, Texas recently imposed an abortion law, known as SB 8, that outlaws doctors from conducting abortions once a fetal heartbeat is discovered, which usually happens around six weeks into a pregnancy.
Under SB 8, anyone who helps a woman access an abortion in Texas after six weeks can be sued by private citizens for $10,000 or more in damages. The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the state in an effort to block the legislation. Attorney General Merrick Garland previously called the measure “unconstitutional.”
However, in October, the Supreme Court ruled to keep the state’s abortion ban in place. It will review whether the U.S. Justice Department can challenge the legislation and it will examine how it was crafted. Justice Sonia Sotomayor blasted her colleagues for continuing to allow the law to remain in effect, writing that the Court was “right” to schedule arguments for the case, but that won’t help women who currently need or want an abortion in Texas.