In response to the reinstatement of a 160-year-old abortion ban in Arizona, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 233 into law on May 23, 2024. This bill allows licensed doctors from Arizona to perform abortions for their patients in California temporarily. The law takes effect immediately and will allow Arizona doctors to provide abortion care until November 30, 2024.
California has been positioning itself as a haven for reproductive rights since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. The new law is part of California's efforts to offer greater access to abortion seekers both from inside and outside the state.
The Arizona State Legislature voted to repeal the 1864 ban on abortion, but the repeal won't take effect until after legislative procedures are completed. The earliest it could take effect is in the fall, leaving a gap during which Arizona's ban would be in force.
Licensed Arizona doctors who want to perform abortions in California will have to fill out an application and meet certain requirements for their applications to be approved within five business days. The law bars California regulators from publishing any information on their website about Arizona doctors aside from the doctor's name, status, and license number.
California has passed dozens of laws to protect abortion access and set aside $20 million in taxpayer money to help pay for patients in other states to travel there for an abortion. The new law does not include new money to help Arizona patients travel to California for abortions but partners with the advocacy group Red Wine and Blue, which seeks to raise funds from private donors.
The Democrats who control California's Legislature have been working quickly to get this law passed, despite some Republicans questioning its necessity given the uncertainty around the enforcement of Arizona's ban and their opposition to its implementation. However, they pressed on with the goal of making California a 'sanctuary' for people seeking abortions in other states.
