By Hannah Wiley / Sacramento Bee
While southern states are working to dismantle Roe v. Wade in their own capitols, California lawmakers revealed on Wednesday their plan to expand abortion care and access in the Golden State.
A crew of about a dozen Democrats and advocates, donned in pink clothing, joined Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California for a press conference announcing a 2020 reproductive healthcare package.
The four proposals include:
Expanding Medi-Cal’s family planning services to include the HPV vaccine
Eliminating co-pays and deductibles for abortion services
Advancing security around abortion clinics
Strengthening privacy rights for patients
“People accessing abortion and the full scope of sexual reproductive health care should be able to access that care and feel safe while doing so, and have their privacy protected,” said Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda. “Being harassed, both in a parking lot of an abortion clinic and online, shamed, bullied and intimidated, flies in the face of these constitutional rights and the values California espouses.”
The statewide Planned Parenthood group launched its expansion campaign on the 47th anniversary of the landmark abortion rights law that determined access to abortion was a constitutional right.
“The Future of Abortion Access in California,” said Jodi Hicks, the organization’s CEO and president, “is Planned Parenthood’s campaign that seeks to answer the question, ‘what more can California do?’”