Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed Senate Bill 233 on Thursday, providing a haven for Arizona abortionists and their patients. The bill allows Arizona abortionists to temporarily perform abortions in California without fear of prosecution under Arizona’s strict anti-abortion law, which dates back to 1864.
Newsom, who recently returned from speaking at the Vatican Climate Summit in Rome, expressed his opposition to the Arizona Republicans’ attempts to restrict abortion access. He said, “Arizona Republicans tried to turn back the clock to 1864 to impose a near-total abortion ban across their state. We refuse to stand by and acquiesce to their oppressive and dangerous attacks on women.”
Senate Bill 233, authored by Democratic state Sen. Nancy Skinner, provides a safety net for Arizona abortionists and their patients. Skinner, who chairs the women’s legislative caucus, said, “With Governor Newsom’s signature on SB 233, our Arizona sisters can come to California to get the health care they need from their own doctors, who they know and rely on.”
The Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling in April reverted the state back to a pre-statehood near-total abortion ban. The law makes it a felony for anyone to perform or assist in an abortion, except to save the mother’s life. This ruling prompted Newsom and other Democratic leaders to take action to protect access to abortion care.
Newsom’s signing of Senate Bill 233 is part of a larger effort by California to expand abortion access following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. California has joined several other blue states in taking steps to safeguard reproductive rights, including passing legislation to protect the right to abortion and funding abortion services for low-income women.
