x
Breaking News
More () »

Right to abortion officially in California's constitution

Californians already had the right to an abortion before this measure passed. The measure is meant for the future.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As of Dec. 21, the right to an abortion is in the California's constitution 

Voters passed Proposition1 last month, but now that election results are verified, it’s officially been added. 

Californians were already allowed to get an abortion in California before this measure passed. This measures is for the future. If a future California legislature is more conservative, they can’t just come in and change the law. 

“We really wanted to make sure that any future legislature or any future court decision will not impact our rights here in California,” Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California Lisa Matsubara said. 

The California Future of Abortion Council, which is made up of over 40 statewide organizations and lawmakers, anticipated Roe versus Wade was going to be overturned. It’s in part, why the council was created.

In addition to the Council's work to pass Proposition 1, they also gave the legislature 45 recommendations to turn into law. 

“In the last legislative session, the California legislature, led by our leadership, our governor, as well as the California legislative women's caucus, passed a 15 bill package that allocated over $200 million in the state budget to really support not just abortion access, but also sexual reproductive health care in this state," Matsubara said. "This landscape nationally is still pretty grim”

This new session, the Council has 16 more recommendations for the state, including investing in a diverse abortion provider workforce and increasing training opportunities for historically excluded communities from health care professions.

“This is a sad development from the point of view of the pro life community," California Family Council President Jonathan Keller said, "But it is a reminder that our work continues.”

Both councils are gearing up for this new legislative session. 

“I would really much rather see our state and our big corporations here in California focus much more on expanding and increasing maternal health care resources, whether we're talking about prenatal care, whether we're talking about paid family leave," Keller said. 

A chunk of the new 16 recommendations from the Future of Abortion Council is to make sure that the $200 million that has already been allocated to help women better access abortion care is spent correctly, and adding more money into those programs. 

The future of abortion council is hopeful, that despite budget deficit predictions, lawmakers will still prioritize abortion access. 

WATCH RELATED: What's driving San Diego voters to the polls? | Economy, abortion rights top the list (Nov. 2022).

Before You Leave, Check This Out