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LA County Is Poised To Become An Abortion 'Safe Haven' Amid Worries Over Roe V. Wade
Members of Congress, including Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Rep. Barbara Lee (C-CA) and others join a pro-choice rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, a case about a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, on Dec. 1, 2021.
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With Politico reporting that the U.S. Supreme Court may be preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion rights ruling, Los Angeles County is poised to back state legislation that would create an "abortion access safe haven" here.
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed Tuesday that a leaked document released by Politico is the authentic draft decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. A final ruling on that case is not expected for another two months, according to SCOTUSblog.
The initial draft majority opinion, which Politico shared on its website, is written by Justice Samuel Alito. In it, Alito states: "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start."
L.A. County's pilot program would provide services to patients, regardless of where they live — and even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe.
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The county's potential move would add to other recent actions taken to further secure abortion rights in California, following indications last year that the Court may overturn the precedent set by Roe.
"If Roe is overturned, states would have the authority to either ban abortions or impose restrictions that would restrict abortion access. Governor Gavin Newsom and California legislators have declared their intent that California be open to out-of-state women seeking access to abortion," reads the motion from supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Holly Mitchell. "Preserving women’s access to quality reproductive healthcare services is critical."
The motion was already included on Tuesday's board meeting agenda — before Politico's story appeared.
Late Monday, the following statement was released by top state officials, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) and Gov. Gavin Newsom:
“California will not stand idly by as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for gets erased. We will fight. California is proposing an amendment to enshrine the right to choose in our state constitution so that there is no doubt as to the right to abortion in this state. We know we can’t trust the Supreme Court to protect reproductive rights, so California will build a firewall around this right in our state constitution. Women will remain protected here.”
You can read more on the history of the Dobbs case at SCOTUSblog.
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We will update this story as we learn more.
Updated May 2, 2022 at 11:23 PM PDT
This story was updated with the statement by state officials.
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