California already forces its taxpayers to pay for elective abortions for mothers who live in the state.
Now, its leaders want to force taxpayers to pay for out-of-state moms to abort their unborn babies, too.
Anticipating that Roe v. Wade will be overturned soon, more than 40 pro-abortion groups are working with Gov. Gavin Newsom and other politicians to expand abortions through the new California Future of Abortion Council, The Sacramento Bee reports.
On Wednesday, the group published its first recommendations, one being that the state force taxpayers to pay for abortions and travel costs for low-income mothers who come there from other states, according to the Associated Press.
Newsom, who created the group, said he wants California to be a “sanctuary” for abortions.
“We’ll be a sanctuary,” the Democrat governor told the AP last week, noting the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court may overturn Roe. “We are looking at ways to support that inevitability and looking at ways to expand our protections.”
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Here’s more from the report:
The report recommends funding — including public [taxpayer] spending — to support patients seeking abortion for travel expenses such as gas, lodging, transportation and child care. It asks lawmakers to reimburse abortion providers for services to those who can’t afford to pay — including those who travel to California from other states whose income is low enough that they would qualify for state-funded abortions under Medicaid if they lived there.
Pro-abortion Democrats control the California legislature, so the recommendations have a chance of becoming law. State Sen. President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, even helped to write the report, according to the AP.
“Working with the [Future of Abortion] Council, my colleagues and I will ensure Californians and people from every state can get the reproductive health services they need in a safe and timely way – and that all our rights remain enshrined in law,” Atkins said in a statement.
Other recommendations from the pro-abortion council include training more people to be abortionists, increasing access to late-term abortions and promoting abortion in public schools and community organizations, according to the Bee.
The council also wants California to promote telemedicine abortions “including across state lines,” the report states. In other words, abortion activists want to sell abortion drugs through the mail or another venue to vulnerable women who may never see a doctor in person and may not have a doctor close by to turn to for help if they suffer abortion complications.
California already has very few limits on abortions. According to the Guttmacher Institute, it has more abortion facilities than any other state in the U.S., and Newsom recently signed a law that forces colleges and universities to provide abortions on campus. In 2015, California also began allowing nurse practitioners and midwives to do abortions, despite studies showing increased risks.
Amy Moy, of Essential Health Access, one of the groups on the council, said they want California to “go further and do more” to expand abortions.
“As a majority of Supreme Court justices appear ready to undermine the bodily autonomy of millions and allow extreme abortion restrictions to stand, California can and must go further and do more to ensure that anyone seeking abortion services within our borders can get the care they want, when and where they need it,” Moy said in a statement.
Last week, the Supreme Court heard a major abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, that directly challenges Roe v. Wade. Lawyers for the state of Mississippi urged the court to overturn its 1973 abortion ruling and allow states to protect unborn babies from abortion again. A ruling is not likely until the spring or summer of 2022.
According to an analysis from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, 26 states “are certain or likely” to protect unborn babies by banning abortions if the Supreme Court gets rid of Roe.
Pro-life advocates in California are planning for the day when Roe will be overturned, too.
Jonathan Keller, president of the California Family Council, told the AP that there are about 160 pro-life pregnancy resource centers in California that plan to increase services to help pregnant and parenting families in need.
“… the work of changing hearts and minds and also providing real support and resources to women facing unplanned pregnancies — that work will always continue,” Keller said. “In many ways, that work is going to be even more important, both in light of Supreme Court’s decision and in light of whatever Sacramento decides they are going to do in response.”
