California saw an increase in abortions after Dobbs. Providers are bracing for more

(Eric Gay/associated press)

California saw an increase in abortions after Dobbs. Providers are bracing for more

California politics, abortion

Mackenzie Mays

April 12, 2024

After the Supreme Court upheld Roe v

S

. Wade decision in 2022, jeopardizing access to abortion for millions of people across the country, California emerged as a “hotspot” and saw an increase in procedures and an influx that was likely due in part to that people from out of state were facing new restrictions and seeking care.

Tuesday’s decision

to the

The Arizona Supreme Court, which aims to impose a near-total abortion ban in the neighboring state, has put Southern California providers on alert and renewed efforts by leading state Democrats to provide a “safe harbor” for reproductive rights revived.

“We stand with the people of Arizona and all those who live in states that have passed dangerous abortion bans and restrictions. No matter what happens, we remain steadfast in our resolve to protect and expand access to safe and legal abortion care for all. said Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.

The regional Planned Parenthood operates clinics in Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties, where 10% of patients come from outside California. Arizonans were already traveling

already traveled

to California for abortion,

like before because before

In this week’s ruling, the state banned abortions after 15 weeks, but DiGiorgio Johnson said they are now in “an even more precarious position.”

The latest decision restored an 1864 law banning abortions except when the

mother’s wife

life is in danger. Advocates don’t know what will happen nationally if Donald Trump is re-elected president and if the Supreme Court decides to ban mifepristone, the at-home prescription drug used in the vast majority of abortions.

“It is too early for us to know exactly what this ruling will mean for us,” DiGiorgio Johnson said of the Arizona decision, but said staffers are taking “necessary steps” to ensure they are ready to make a decision. to support potential influx.

Abortion data can be difficult to determine, as advocates warn of undercounting as patients refuse to share information about privacy issues. However, research has shown that there has been an increase in California after the Dobbs vs. Jackson decision of the US Supreme Court from two years ago, which was reversed

a

federal abortion protections.

In May 2022, a month before the Dobbs decision, California reported 13,680 abortions, according to national data from the Society for Family Planning. In May 2023, that number rose to 15,550.

California joined Illinois and Florida as the states with the largest cumulative increase in abortions over the past fifteen months

of 15 months

anus

the undoing of

According to the report, Roe was shot. The numbers fluctuated, peaking at more than 16,000 in March 2023, according to the report, which tracked abortions in the state from April 2022 to September 2023.

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California reported that medication abortions at their clinics increased 18% statewide between 2022 and June 23.

In another report, the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research organization that supports abortion access, estimated that more than 5,000 abortions were performed on patients traveling to California from other states.

out of state

in 2023.

California has done more than most states to prepare for a post-Dobbs world. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have spent more than $200 million on reproductive health care since 2022, launching a state abortion database that includes uninsured abortions and provides funding for logistics such as travel for patients in rural areas.

California voters have already approved a ballot measure that would secure abortion rights in the state

c

A constitution is a move that supporters in other states are now trying to copy.

Newsom denounced the Arizona court’s decision, chiding it for not making exceptions for rape or incest.

“THIS is the ‘future’ the GOP is fighting for,” Newsom said this on Tuesday on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. ‘Abortion rights. Civil rights. Voting rights. They want this all wiped away. Remember that in November.”

According to Newsom spokesman Brandon Richards, state officials are working “in close coordination” with the Arizona governor’s office to ensure residents of that state know they can seek help in California. “The state, including the Governor’s Office, continues to engage in conversations at the highest levels about possible action, both proactive and reactive, to ensure reproductive freedom remains a reality in California while threats to access persist,” Richards said in an email to The Times.

California Republicans have criticized Newsom’s focus on the red state’s abortion policies, saying he must adhere to the needs of his own state’s residents.

billions of billions

-dollar budget deficit.

Sue Dunlap, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, one of the nation’s largest abortion providers, said concerns about infrastructure and resources for Californians at risk because of out-of-state needs are a “false narrative.”

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles saw an increase of about 20% in abortions after Dobbs, and the majority of those involved California patients. The clinics have long served non-Californians traveling to the United States

important

city ​​for abortions even before the Dobbs decision, Dunlap said.

“To me, this tells the story of when we increase access, period, it lifts all boats. It creates the opportunity for everyone to get timely care,” she said Thursday. “In California, we’ve really increased access over the last few years. We’ve really increased our awareness.”

But the work in California isn’t over, she said.

While Although

Newsom has passed legislation to support abortion doctors in red states, but there are still legal ambiguities over policy battles between states and the consequences of a possible national ban.

Dunlap said Californians should not take abortion access for granted or downplay decisions ahead.

“I have to say, as someone who runs the day-to-day operations of a healthcare-heavy organization, I hate the optimism,” she said. “It’s our job as health care providers to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. That’s what will ensure that we are able to take care of the potential surges in California.”

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