California: Democrat senators introduce bill to fund abortions for out-of-state women

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – As an increasing number of US states move to greatly restrict access to abortion, California senators have introduced a bill that would provide a fund of taxpayer money for women who live outside the state to have abortions, the Christian Post (CP) reports.

Introduced last week by Sens. Anna Caballero and Nancy Skinner, Senate Bill 1142 would establish an “Abortion Practical Support Fund” for low income women and those who cannot access abortion in their own state. The Fund would “[provide] grants, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to assist pregnant people who are low income or face other financial barriers with access to abortions in California, and for research to support equitable access to abortion.”

In particular, the bill says: “These funds assist patients seeking abortion services within California, patients traveling to California, and when patients need to travel outside of California for care.”

Senate Bill 1142 has been introduced as the US Supreme Court prepares to rule in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health as to whether Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks gestation is constitutional. Many consider that Dobbs is a test case challenging the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade which legalized abortion up to viability.

“If the [US Supreme Court] overturns 50 years of settled law and takes away a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion, California will not stand idly by,” Skinner said in a statement about her bill.

“With SB 1142, California sends a clear message to the rest of the nation: We are fully committed to ensuring that California women and those who may seek refuge here have access to all reproductive services, including abortion,” she added.

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