SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will codify its progressive abortion protections in its state Constitution after voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1, a measure placed on the ballot in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
With its passage Tuesday, the state's constitution will expressly guarantee a person's "fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives." California's Democratic-controlled Legislature placed Proposition 1 before voters, saying it was needed to ensure that state courts or politicians could not undermine reproductive rights in the future without voter approval.
"Today we sent a loud clear message to those who think they can control our bodies," said Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, a Democrat, who authored the bill that placed Proposition 1 on the ballot. "In California, we will not go backwards."
