On the same day Virginia's senate passed a law a bill imposing further restrictions on a woman's right to safe and legal abortion, California began to move in the opposite direction when a bill was introduced in the CA Legislature allowing certain classes of qualified health professionals to perform nonsurgical versions of the procedure through the first trimester.
From the LA Times:
A state senator is proposing to significantly expand access to abortion in California by allowing licensed nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nurse midwives to perform nonsurgical versions of the procedure in the first trimester of pregnancy.
One of the most effective ways in which opponents of abortion have been able to restrict women's access to abortion is by limiting where it is practiced through pressure tactics - blockades, harassment and terrorist attacks. Even in California, ranked as the most pro-choice state in the country (with an A+ rating from NARAL), many women do not have immediate access to abortion services, often requiring them to make overnight trips to terminate their pregnancies.
Ana Rodriguez, executive director of ACCESS Women's Health Justice, said that women often call her group complaining of the distances they must travel to get an abortion. One Central Valley mother of four had to take a 3 a.m. bus to San Francisco to terminate her pregnancy, Rodriguez said. Another, living in the Sierra took an Amtrak train and saved on hotel costs by sleeping in the restroom of the hospital where she got her abortion, Rodriguez said.
Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) aims to remedy this situation by allowing qualified health professionals other than physicians to provide safe and legal abortion services - thus ensuring that more women are able to freely exercise their right to chose to end their pregnancy.
Ironically, Right-to-Life, which opposes abortion under any circumstances, even when a woman's life is in danger, is against this bill because it "poses a danger to women" said lobbyist Camille Giglio:
"When do they let the janitor do it?" Giglio said in an interview. "They're totally casting aside the safety of the woman."
The irony of a group like Right-to-Life being concerned about the health of a woman, while opposing access to safe family planning procedures, is staggering.
The bill is supported by all of the Democratic leadership in both houses of the CA legislature - indicating there is strong support for it in both houses. The specific bill is SB 1501.
And once again - CA proudly marches forward setting itself apart, as with our greenhouse gas and emission standards, while waiting for the rest of the nation to catch up.