By Manny Otiko – IVN
Although the Supreme Court is likely to overturn Roe vs. Wade, allowing states to outlaw abortion, some California elected officials insist they back women’s right to control their reproductive systems.
U. S. Rep. Mark Takano described the proposed Supreme Court ruling as “draconian.”
“An extreme Supreme Court is poised to uphold a draconian law that will ban abortions after 15 weeks with no exceptions, even in cases of rape and incest. This is a dangerous decision that does not reflect the will of the American people,” said Takano in a press release.
Roe vs.Wade, which was established in 1973, enshrines the right to abortion at the federal level. Overturning the ruling would allow states to outlaw abortion, and some red states (states that vote Republican) are already moving in that direction.
Last week, Oklahoma passed a law that would outlaw abortion after fertilization. Texas, which borders Oklahoma, already has a strict anti-abortion law. (Texas outlaws abortion after six weeks.) And because of that law, Texas women who were seeking to end their pregnancies were flocking to Oklahoma. With the new Oklahoma law, that’s likely to stop.
“This bill will take care of that. We certainly don’t want Texans coming up to Oklahoma,” said Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt in a press conference.
The Oklahoma legislation is considered to be the nation’s most stringent anti-abortion law. Stitt has said he wants Oklahoma to be “the most pro-life state in the country.”
However, with several states looking to outlaw abortion, blue states, such as California, will become destinations for women who want to end their pregnancies.
And Gov. Gavin Newsom is already taking steps in anticipation of that. According to a press release, Newsom’s Reproductive Health package allocates $125 million to “further bolster California’s health care infrastructure, expand access to services for patients, and help prepare for the influx of people seeking reproductive health care from other states.”
Newsom said California will continue to honor women’s fundamental right to control their bodies.
“We’re expanding access to these critical services, welcoming businesses and their employees fleeing anti-abortion states, and reaffirming our commitment to continuing to work closely with the Legislature and reproductive rights stakeholders to further solidify California’s leadership on abortion rights,” he said.
Takano said making abortion illegal won’t eliminate it. He said wealthy women, who have the means to travel to other states and outside the country, will still find ways of terminating unwanted pregnancies.
“Making abortion illegal will not impact the wealthiest Americans in the way that it will impact low- and middle-income women with limited access to resources, further widening the gaps that are present in our healthcare system,” said Takano. “At its core, making abortion illegal will strip women of their fundamental right to make their own decisions about their own bodies, a right that no one – not even the Supreme Court of the United States – should interfere with.”
Inland Valley News coverage of local news in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support minority-owned-and-operated community newspapers across California.
