SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is on the verge of making it easier for nurse practitioners to provide abortions, barring coroner investigations following a fetal death and dedicating $20 million to expand access to reproductive care programs in Los Angeles County under bills passed by the state Legislature before the body adjourned Wednesday.
Lawmakers sent the last of 15 bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom aimed at strengthening California's already robust abortion protections, two of which were already signed into law. Supporters say the legislation would further cement the state's efforts to be a "beacon of hope" in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
"As judges and lawmakers across the country continue to throw pregnant women into impossible and perilous positions, I am proud that California is resolutely moving in the opposite direction," said Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). "Abortion is healthcare — period. And like other medical decisions, it is a private conversation between patients and their healthcare providers."
