California Increases Legal Protections for Abortion Patients

California has almost 40 million residents, accounting for a colossal 12% of the US population. As the most populous state in the country, it can have a massive influence on the rest of the country. So it’s a very big deal indeed that California governor Gavin Newsom responded to the draconian restrictions being imposed on abortion in other parts of the country by signing two new laws on September 22 that reinforce California’s commitment to reproductive freedom.

Under California’s new AB 1184, insurers and healthcare providers are required to keep certain forms of healthcare confidential, including abortion. This information now cannot be shared with anyone but the patient, even if a parent or spouse is the one paying for the patient’s insurance plan.

The state has also passed AB 1356, a law that increases the penalty for sharing personal information or images of providers, employees, volunteers, or patients at reproductive health facilities without their consent to a fine of $10,000 and up to a year in jail. The new law also makes it a crime to record, film, or photograph someone with the intent to intimidate within 100 feet (30 meters) of a clinic entrance. This new law is intended to prevent anti-abortion protestors from sharing information about providers and patients on social media in real time as well as after the fact.

"California has been a leader in protecting access to sexual and reproductive rights, but as we’ve seen recently with unprecedented attacks on these rights, we can and must do more," Newsom said in a statement. And we love to hear it, because we believe that everyone deserves accurate information about and access to abortion!

Whether you live in a state that’s protecting reproductive freedom or one that’s trying to take it away, visit AbortionPillInfo.org to learn more about abortion with pills. We’ve got the trustworthy information everybody needs.