SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom is seeking a bold new step to open California medical facilities to Arizona doctors for abortions on their patients after the state's Supreme Court upheld an 1864 abortion ban.Governor Newsom rolled out new legislation in a press conference on Wednesday.'This Arizona law is the first border state law that will directly impact the state of California,' Newsom said.
Reproductive freedom was enshrined into the California Constitution in 2022 in wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. The governor signed a law in 2021 allowing doctors with out-of-state medical licenses to temporarily practice in California if their military spouse was stationed here.Michele Monserratt-Ramos is a patient advocate at Consumer Watchdog who says adding Arizona doctors to California facilities could lead to longer wait times for California women.