If Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court, 26 states will likely ban or restrict abortion in the United States. California, however, is preparing to offer sanctuary for access to abortion and welcoming people from all parts of the country to support them.
A package of 13 bills is being considered by the Democratic-led state legislature to increase access to abortion and lower costs. It also includes provisions to help people get an abortion, or protect them from being prosecuted by the law. Gov. Gavin Newsom has committed $125 million in state funding to support these efforts.
Buffy Wicks (a Democrat from Oakland) says that the goal is to “really enshrine” and ensure that California is a state of reproductive freedom for all.
Wicks was the first California lawmaker to share her abortion story before the California assembly in 2019 on the 46th anniversary Roe.
In her 2019 speech, she stated that she was 26 years old and was in between jobs and between homes. “Staying on the couch of a friend, unemployed. I was vulnerable when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
In 2004, Wicks received help from a Planned Parenthood clinic near San Francisco. Wicks worked for Barack Obama in the White House and on the campaign trail for 2008, the following years. He endorsed her candidacy for office in 2018 and she was elected to the California legislature. She is 44 years old, has two daughters, and is married.
She says that having an abortion was a empowering decision for her. “One I have never regretted.”
Wicks continues to share her personal experiences in reproductive health care and how they have influenced her legislative work. She tweeted about one of her experiences in December after she heard arguments in the Roe case. She was making lunch at home in September when she experienced severe cramping. She started to bleed aEUR” quite a bit. She ran to her doctor.
Wicks claims that she was actually pregnant at the time and had a miscarriage. She was told by her doctor that she needed to undergo an emergency abortion procedure (a D and C), which is used to both terminate a pregnancy and manage miscarriage complications.
The Texas law prohibiting abortions after 6 weeks had passed and allows anyone to sue doctors who perform them. Wicks asked her doctor whether she would be able to have the procedure she had just received if it were legal in Texas. She was told by her doctor that legally, she would be allowed to have the procedure because the pregnancy was not viable. In reality, some Texas doctors were too scared to perform these procedures due to the chilling Texas law.
Wicks said she thought about what she would do if she was unable to get the D or C in Texas. Drive 10 hours in your car to get care.
Wicks states, “I mean I was twice over in pain.” “And that is what compels me, as a legislator to make sure that I’m doing all I can to voice my opinion on the matter.”
According to the Guttmacher Institute, Roe would be overturned and the number of women who would have access to abortion services in California would rise by almost 3,000%, from approximately 46,000 to 1.4million. Wicks is part a group of legislators and reproductive health organizations pushing for the 13-bill package to expand services in California in anticipation of an increase in demand.
Another bill has been passed that will remove insurance co-pays for abortion. Other bills in the legislature would allow for state money to be set aside to assist women traveling from outside of their state with lodging, travel and child care expenses. Another bill would allow reproductive health clinics to offer more abortions through the addition of appointment slots and training additional staff.
Many bills focus on legal protections to counteract the threat from laws like the Texas one. This Texas law allows anyone to sue anyone who “performs, induces,” or “aids and abets” abortions. Although it is not clear if these lawsuits could be brought against anyone across the state line, such lawsuits could possibly involve medical staff and Uber drivers who drive women to appointments.
California’s bills are being considered. They would state that local and state officials won’t help in any type of lawsuit such as that by refusing to comply with subpoenas issued by other states or by refusing to provide health data requested from other states. Wicks has drafted a bill that says that Californians cannot be prosecuted for ending a pregnancy, or being incarcerated for experiencing a loss.
According to Lisa Matsubara (general counsel and vice president of policy at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California), health clinics in California are now privately preparing for increased protestors or security threats as these legislative efforts continue.
She says, “We are definitely concerned about the shift in focus for anti–abortion activists as they have effectively eliminated access to many states.” This means that protestors will follow patients and target states like California, where abortion is legal.
Some protestors have already traveled from Canada to California. A trucker convoy came from Canada and arrived in the Bay Area on 22 April. A stream of semis, pick-up trucks with American flags travelled through Buffy Wicks’ Oakland neighborhood. They then parked at her home for hours protesting her support for abortion legislation.
One man shouted, “This is an assault on humanity,” through a bullhorn.
Wicks’ neighbors didn’t welcome the convoy. They were given the double finger by a woman with long, neon yellow nails. Others began to pelt the trucks with eggs, shouting “Go home! Go home!” Californians are nearly 80 percent against Roe v. Wade being overturned.
The street was closed to traffic, and police stood guard at Wicks’ home for the rest of the demonstration.
Buffy Wicks was at home and watched the protestors through a window. She claims she isn’t intimidated and will not change her plans. She and her colleagues are actually looking for ways to accelerate the legislative process of making California an abortion sanctuary for all.
She says, “It’s not out of desire that we’re preparing ourselves for this.” “We want to ensure that people have the opportunity to come to us in their most desperate moments and receive the care they need.
This story is part of NPR’s partnership with Kaiser Health News and KQED for health reporting.
