Newsom Vows to Simplify Abortion Access for Arizonans in California

Gov. Gavin Newsom promises to make it simpler for Arizonans to get abortions in California, an announcement he made on the same day he released a new election advertisement criticizing Republican policies in Alabama.

Newsom’s recent efforts extend his attempts to condemn Republican campaigns aimed at limiting reproductive rights and to highlight California as a national hub for abortion services. His pledge to assist Arizonans comes in direct response to the state’s recent Supreme Court decision to uphold a 160-year-old abortion ban.

The prohibition would only permit abortions that were proven medically essential to save the life of a pregnant patient. It hasn’t yet taken effect.

“Arizona AG (Attorney General) Kris Mayes identified a need to expedite the ability of Arizona abortion providers to continue to provide care to Arizonans as a way to support patients in their state seeking abortion care in California,” Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards said in an email. “We are responding to this call and will have more details to share in the coming days.”

The governor’s office stated that it is working closely with the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, but did not provide any other details on the legislation or when it is expected to be introduced.

“We need to start focusing on making the kind of progress that’s needed…to provide access to women and girls fleeing the state of Arizona,” Newsom said in an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki, which aired Sunday.

The discussion featured Newsom’s new political advertising, in which two young ladies drive toward the Alabama state line and are stopped by a police officer who asks them to take a pregnancy test.

“Not enough attention has been placed on the fact that we’re not just criminalizing women’s access to reproductive care in certain states, now we’re criminalizing their travel,” Psaki said.

The ad campaign will begin on Monday in Alabama, which has one of the nation’s harshest abortion laws. The state prohibits the practice at all stages of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. These advertising also resemble Newsom’s prior attempts to capitalize on the issue of abortion availability.

Nearly two years ago, Newsom’s re-election campaign purchased billboards in Texas, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Oklahoma to promote California’s new abortion-access website, abortion.ca.gov. The website offers materials to help people considering abortions understand the procedure, find providers, and obtain financial aid.