California is preparing to spend up to $20m (£17m) to bring women from other states to its abortion clinics, a policy aimed at increasing access to a procedure that has been illegal legal or restricted in many states since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom had previously restricted money from the state’s “practical abortion support fund” to only travel to the state, saying “we have to be realistic about what we can absorb” . That decision surprised pro-choice advocates, especially since Newsom, a Democrat, had promised to make California a sanctuary for women in other states seeking abortions.
Pro-choice advocates spent weeks lobbying the governor’s office on the issue. On Friday, days before the end of the legislative session, Newsom and legislative leaders unveiled a budget amendment that would allow the state to spend public money on out-of-state travel for abortions. Lawmakers are expected to vote on it next week.
While the fund will receive public money, it also accepts private donations, which the Newsom administration said would be important to cover costs.
“As the governor has stated, California is doing its part, but we can’t do it all — private donations and philanthropy will be critical to these efforts,” Newsom spokesman Alex Stack said.
“We must all strive to support women who are denied reproductive freedom by state governments and forced to come to California for abortion care.”
Jodi Hicks, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said the change was significant given that state officials had been working for months to increase the state’s ability to provide abortions following the state supreme court’s decision united
“None of that matters if we’re not also making sure patients can get where they need to go,” he said. “Everyone deserves health care, including abortion, and unfortunately for half the country, they need to travel out of state to get it.”
As some states move to ban or restrict access to abortion, some state and local governments have stepped up to use public money to help women in those states travel to get the procedure. In Republican-led states, city leaders in St. Louis, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, have pledged to use public money to help women get abortions.
Oregon state lawmakers, who were anticipating an abortion ban in neighboring Idaho, agreed to spend $15 million to help women get abortions. So far, $1 million has gone to the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, a nonprofit that helps patients pay for travel and the procedure itself.
The fund exhausted its planned operating budget this year and had to approve additional emergency funds amid growing demand for travel aid, according to Riley Keane, the group’s practical support manager.
In California, some of the money could go to Access Reproductive Justice, the state’s only abortion support fund. The group usually helps about 500 people a year get abortions, but director Jessica Pinckney said they’ve seen an increase since the Supreme Court decision.
Pinckney said the group recently helped more women living in other states than in California in one week.
“We’re definitely seeing an increase in Texans and Arizonans. We’re also starting to see people coming from Louisiana, Alabama, way beyond what we would have anticipated,” Pinckney said. “I still don’t necessarily think we have the full story of what things are going to look like now in this post-Roe era.”
The California Family Council, a nonprofit that opposes abortion rights, has been lobbying against the spending this year. Jonathan Keller, the group’s president, said the state should spend tax dollars on what he says are more pressing issues, such as homelessness and housing.
“The idea that the most pressing use of state funds would be to pay for people from red states to fly here to get abortions on the California taxpayer dime is really just a farce,” he said.
This year’s state budget authorizes spending of $4.8 billion over three years on housing and homelessness programs, up from $9 billion approved last year, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office .
