SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Friday that immediately protects abortion providers in California from liability when caring for patients traveling from areas where the procedure is now banned or access is narrowed.
Assembly Bill 1666 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat, will protect providers and patients in California from civil liability judgments based on claims made in antiabortion states. It further cements the state’s efforts to be a “beacon of hope” in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
Newsom said the law will push back against Republican states that allow private lawsuits against abortion providers and patients. Last year, Texas passed a law that allows private citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy.
