California legislators have introduced a bill that would provide financial assistance to women from outside the state to seek abortions in the state.
As several states tighten restrictions on abortion access, California is pushing back and funding the murder of unborn children. Lawmakers in the state have introduced a new measure that would create a fund from taxpayer money to help women who live outside California to obtain abortions in the state.
According to the Christian Post, Senate Bill 1142 was introduced last week by Democratic Sens. Anna Caballero and Nancy Skinner and outlines several proposed requirements for state agencies with regards to abortion services in California. The proposal said that the bill would "require the California Health and Human Services Agency, or an entity designated by the agency, to establish an internet website where the public can find information on abortion services in the state."
Moreover, the proposed bill to support women out of state who seek abortions will establish an "Abortion Practical Support Fund" and will require the commission to administer the fund "for the purpose of providing grants" to pregnant women of "low income or face other financial barriers with access to abortions in California," as well as "for research to support equitable access to abortion."
The justification for the proposed legislation was concerns over the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned. The bill warned that if Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court's landmark decision that legalized abortion in the U.S., would be dismantled, up to "36 [million] women and other people who may become pregnant will lose access to abortion care."
The proposed measure underscores California's commitment to "building upon existing protections to the right to abortion" and establishing policies for it to become a "reproductive freedom state." The bill recognized that there is yet an "unmet need for logistical and practical support" for those who seek abortions.
"The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority seems poised to do the unthinkable," Sen. Skinner said, as per the Christian Headlines. "If the court overturns 50 years of settled law and takes away a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, California will not stand idly by."
Sen. Skinner argued that SB 1142 sends a "clear message" to the rest of America that establishes California as a refuge for women seeking "all reproductive services, including abortion."
California's move to allot taxpayer funds to support women out of state who seek abortions come after Idaho passed SB 1309, which amends a law that bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, much like the controversial Texas Heartbeat Act. Idaho's law empowers people to file a lawsuit against abortion providers who carry out the procedure after a fetal heartbeat is detected in the unborn child.
Similarly in Tennessee, lawmakers have also proposed a "Texas-style" abortion measure, which allows private citizens to enforce the measure by filing civil lawsuits against those who perform abortions. The Tennessee abortion ban was sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Alexander.
