In a historic moment for California, the state assembly approved this Monday the SCA 10, a constitutional amendment in favor of abortion and contraceptives in a vote of 58-16.
The bill, co-authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, as well as co-authored by a large coalition of Democratic lawmakers, successfully passed its final legislative requirement just three days after that the US Supreme Court issue an opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Abortion is health care and should be a private conversation between a patient and her health care provider,” Atkins said.
“When politicians and judges force their way into that room, security disappears. Friday was a dark day. Today we provide a ray of hope by allowing voters to enshrine reproductive rights in our constitution, reflecting California values and protecting everyone who needs abortion, birth control and other reproductive care in our state,” he added.
Atkins and Rendon filed SCA 10 shortly after the draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson in May, indicating that the Court would likely issue a ruling that would reverse Roe v. Wade and would undermine nearly five decades of precedent protecting access to abortion.
“With the court drilling holes in constitutional protections, our rights are in free fall,” Rendón stressed. “SCA 10 is our opportunity to speak to California voters, who have been strong supporters of abortion rights, and allow them to enshrine this fundamental right in the California Constitution. I am proud to be its co-author.”
SCA 10 passed both houses with a two-thirds majority vote, the only requirement to qualify for the November 2022 ballot, which does not need to be signed by the Governor.
In November, voters will be able to decide whether it should become law, marking the first time California has given voters the opportunity to add abortion and contraception rights to the state constitution, and further cementing the long-standing position of California as a national leader in Reproductive Rights.
In 1969, four years before Roe v. Wade, the California Supreme Court held that Californians have a fundamental constitutional right to procreation choice. Three years later, the state passed a constitutional amendment to explicitly establish the right to privacy.
These rulings complemented the decision Roe v. Wade of the US Supreme Court in 1973 which held that the constitutional right to choose is vested in the US Constitution.
SCA 10 is one component of a list of legislation introduced this year to protect and expand reproductive rights in the “golden state,” including a package of thirteen bills from the California Women’s Legislative Caucus.
Two of those bills, SB 245, authored by Sen. Lena González, and AB 1666, authored by Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, have already become law.
Additionally, the 2022 budget agreement between the Legislature and the Governor includes hundreds of millions in funding for reproductive health services; the final agreement will be voted on by the Legislature later this week.
It may interest you: California, Oregon and Washington commit to protecting access to abortion
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