Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announced on Sunday that lawmakers in California are working on emergency legislation to help abortion providers in neighboring Arizona as a restrictive abortion law is set to be reimplemented in the Grand Canyon State.
Newsom said on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki that he, along with the California Legislative Women’s Caucus and others, will be introducing legislation this week to ensure abortion access for Arizonans in California. The announcement comes weeks after the Arizona Supreme Court upheld an 1864 abortion law in the state which bans the practice unless a mother faces immediate life-threatening conditions.
The governor’s office confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Newsom has been working with several groups to “quickly and effectively respond” to the looming reenactment of the 1864 law in Arizona. Details on the legislation are set to be unveiled in the “coming days.”
“The Governor’s Office is working closely with the Legislature, California Women’s Caucus, and key stakeholders to quickly and effectively respond to the Arizona Supreme Court’s shocking resurrection of an 1864 abortion ban – coordinating closely with the Arizona Governor’s office and our respective state Attorneys General thanks to the success of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance,” a spokesperson for the governor told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes told NBC News earlier this month that she was exploring her options, including having the Golden State be a safe haven for abortion providers.
“I totally understand the fear that doctors, pharmacists, and nurses are having right now in the face of the knowledge that we are barreling toward the potential implementation of this 1864 ban,” Mayes told the outlet. “That’s why I’m working with other states on avenues for potentially having them go to those states to practice medicine in the near term. One of my visions is that potentially we could have a safe haven in California for our doctors, nurses, and abortion providers.”
The governor’s office said they are responding to Mayes’s call for abortion providers in Arizona to be protected as the 1864 law is set to go back into effect.
“Arizona AG Kris Mayes identified a need to expedite the ability for Arizona abortion providers to continue to provide care to Arizonans as a way to support patients in their state seeking abortion care in California. We are responding to this call and will have more details to share in the coming days,” a spokesperson for Newsom told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
Newsom has touted California’s access to abortion in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade and sent abortion law back to the states. Voters in the Golden State elected to enshrine abortion until viability during the 2022 election.
The governor has regularly touted California as a destination for women in states where abortion is restricted to visit to receive the procedure. He has also taken action, vowing not to cooperate with states that attempt to penalize those leaving their respective states to seek an abortion.
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A similar ballot initiative to the one passed in California in 2022 could be placed before voters in Arizona, potentially teeing up abortion as a major issue for the Senate and presidential races in the Grand Canyon State.
The Arizona Attorney General’s office says the earliest the 1864 law will go into effect is June 8. Attempts in the state legislature to repeal the law have failed so far.
