Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a series of bills aimed at expanding access to reproductive health care and strengthening privacy protections for patients and providers in California.
The legislation includes Assembly Bill 260, which was introduced by state Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters).
AB 260 allows health care providers to prescribe abortion medication anonymously, requires state-regulated health plans to cover the abortion pill mifepristone regardless of federal approval status, and increases legal protections for providers against criminal prosecution or lawsuits related to medical abortion.
Aguiar-Curry said Newsom’s signature reinforces California’s leadership on reproductive and privacy rights, as well as safeguarding the patient-provider relationship.
“I appreciate the partnership with the Administration as we fight for the sanctity of the patient-health professional relationship, and the safety of Californians and their health providers,” said Aguiar-Curry, who also serves as the Assembly Majority Leader and chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus.
While the majority of women who terminate pregnancies opt for medication abortions, Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion groups have long criticized mifepristone.
The California Family Council opposed the bill, claiming that more than 10% of women using mifepristone suffer serious issues including sepsis, hemorrhaging and infection within 45 days after an abortion. California Baptist for Biblical Values and the Pacific Justice Institute Center for Public Policy also argued in opposition to the bill, citing “increased complications” of the drug and “loosened safety protocols.”
Earlier this month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a letter to Republican state attorneys general that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was reviewing the safety of the drug. Kennedy said in the letter that the review would examine “real-world outcomes and evidence, relating to the safety and efficacy of the drug.
Kennedy’s letter also cited data on adverse reactions to the drug gathered from a study done by the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Newsom also signed Assembly Bill 1525, introduced earlier this year by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, which protects attorneys who assist patients in other states seeking reproductive care from disciplinary action by the State Bar.
“California stands for a woman’s right to choose,” Newsom said in a statement. “I’m proud to sign these bills to protect access to essential health care and shield patients and health care providers in the face of amplified attacks on the fundamental right to reproductive freedom.”
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California CEO and President Jodi Hicks said the new protections come at a time when access to reproductive health care remains under attack by the Trump administration.
“This significant policy will help safeguard access to medication abortion for many Californians and protect the ability of our state’s abortion providers to continue providing this life-saving care,” Hicks said.