ADVOCACY & PUBLIC POLICY FOR LIFE
We advocate for policies at the state and federal level that protect a person’s life from conception until natural death. As legislative issues come up, we take part in advocacy campaigns for laws that reflect the sanctity of all human life. Your voice is needed. Sign up for updates on these campaigns.
California bishops’ conference: Gov. Newsom prioritizes abortion over mothers and families
September 29, 2022
The executive director of the public policy arm of the California bishops today offered a blistering statement criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to sign a raft of bills prioritizing abortion while at the same time vetoing legislation that would have supported poor women and families.
Bills Signed into Law during the Last Legislative Session
- SB 1142 funding travel for women from out of state to have abortions
- SB 1245 funding abortion infrastructure in LA County
- SB 1375 allowing NPs to perform abortions without physician oversight
- AB 1918 paying for the scholarships and loan repayments of doctors who study abortions
- AB 2134 forcing employers to cover abortions outside their health plans
- AB 2586 creating the CA Reproductive Justice and Freedom fund
- SB 523 forcing employers to cover contraception in their health plans
The playlist below includes some of the testimony by California Catholic Conference staff about these bills.
You can watch the recent webinar “Roe and Dobbs, the Supreme Court, and What’s Next for California on Abortion,” featuring Bishop Michael Barber of the Diocese of Oakland, California Catholic Conference (CCC) Executive Director Kathleen Domingo, and CCC Respect Life Director Molly Sheahan.
Answering the questions: Is Roe likely to be overturned? What’s going on with the Dobbs case at the Supreme Court? What does this all mean for California? How can you get involved?
Webinario: Roe y Dobbs, la Corte Suprema y lo que sigue en California en cuanto al aborto
Una conversación con con el Obispo Auxiliar Ramón Bejarano de San Diego, la Directora Ejecutiva de la Conferencia Católica de California Kathleen Domingo, la Directora de Cultura de Vida para la Diócesis de San Diego María de Lourdes Valencia y la Directora de la Oficina de vida, justicia y paz para la Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles Gina Vides sobre las leyes y reglamentos que rigen el aborto en el país y en nuestro estado.
Past Action Items
AB 2223
Following concerns over the language of this bill, AB 2223 was amended to make clear that it will not legalize infant deaths by abuse, neglect, or abandonment. The CCC’s full statement on the change is available here.
SB 245
Sadly, SB 245 was signed by the Governor on March 22, 2022. While abortions have been covered by MediCal and all health plans for many years in California, this bill will remove insurance co-pays or any other cost-sharing requirement for all abortion services and would prohibit cost-sharing from being imposed on a Medi-Cal beneficiary for those services.
This bill expands the prospects for more abortions in our state, particularly among low-income women. California already funds abortions and contraceptives through tax-payer money, making it incredibly easy for a mother to find abortion access, while prenatal care and post-natal services continue to have significant co-pays and deductible costs.
Women deserve better than abortion and government should instead fund life-affirming services in a patient’s health care plan. Let us pray.
Resources
The Right to Life and the Dignity of the Human Person – California Catholic Conference