NEWSFLASH: California Governor Expands Abortion Access

At a time when most states are pushing legislation to cut abortion access (we’re looking at you, Texas), the Golden State has set a shining example for women’s rights. Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 154 into law, a bill which improves access to early abortion in California. AB 154 makes California the only state in the nation this year that has passed legislation to improve access to abortion instead of limit it.

Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins (D- San Diego) introduced the bill to further access to abortions for women in rural areas where not all physicians perform abortions. In fact, half of all California counties have no abortion provider. AB 154 authorizes nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other trained medical personnel to perform abortions in the first trimester. The passage of the bill was based on a six-year study conducted by University of California, San Francisco, which concluded that the numbers of cases where complications occurred in abortions performed by non-physicians were not statistically higher than those performed by physicians.

“Timely access to reproductive health services is critical to women’s health,” said Atkins. “AB 154 will ensure that no woman has to travel excessively long distances or wait for long periods in order to obtain an early abortion. I appreciate Governor Brown’s support of women’s health.”

Thank you Gov.  Brown and California for standing with women, and here’s to hoping that the passage of AB 154 can inspire other states to stop pushing oppressive anti-abortion bills through their legislatures.

Photo of California state Capitol courtesy of Flickr user stevenskelly1 under license from Creative Commons 2.0

About

Melissa McGlensey recently graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.A. in English and Spanish with a minor in creative writing; she is currently interning at Ms. Read more from her at OhHeyMeliss.com.