The League of Women Voters of Piedmont on Friday, December 2, 2022, held our first in-person event and fundraiser since 2019! To an audience of 50 League members and guests in Piedmont, California, speaker Shannon Olivieri Hovis, Director of NARAL Pro‑Choice California, spoke about the current state of reproductive rights in the country and how California is leading the fight to protect this critical right in light of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Hovis began by giving some background on NARAL Pro-Choice California. In existence for over 50 years, NARAL is the oldest and largest abortion rights advocacy organization in America and it advocates for reproductive freedom for all people. Reproductive freedom means the ability to make personal decisions about our reproductive lives, bodies, and futures free from any form of oppression and free from government interference.
Hovis discussed the effect of the Dobbs decision on the 2022 midterm election that resulted in increased turnout, increased voter registration, and voters’ support of candidates who were pro-choice. Six states took action on abortion related ballot measures: three affirmative measures were successful, and three anti-choice measures were rejected by voters. Public opinion is that 8 in 10 Americans support the legal right to abortion. Even for women who would never choose abortion for themselves, many believe women should be free to make the choice for themselves without the government taking that freedom away.
Across the country, there are 17 states that have bans on abortion, which are currently in effect and an addition nine states with bans tied up in court. Some states, including most of the South, have total bans. Others have extreme limitations like Texas, which bans abortion after six-weeks into the pregnancy as measured from the beginning of the last menstrual cycle. Restrictions like this have the effect of completely banning abortion because few, if any, women will even know they are pregnant at just six weeks. Even in states where there are exceptions that allow abortions, women often need to travel out of state because there are no clinics available within the state, so the realities of access to care are sometimes harsher than the laws may indicate.
In California, as soon as Texas’ six-week ban was allowed to stand last fall, the California Future of Abortion Council was formed. According to their website, the “CA FAB Council works in collaboration with policy makers, researchers, advocates, providers, patients, and key constituents to determine potential challenges in the state and recommend solutions that will continue to provide access and stability for both Californians and those who may seek services here from out of state.” In California, reproductive freedom advocates ran a legislative package of 17 bills to support abortion rights including getting CA Prop 1 on ballot to protect the right to abortion care in the California State Constitution. Before turning to questions, Hovis reminded the audience that the landscape for reproductive freedoms is constantly changing and in California, we need to continue to work to ensure that reproductive care is at the top of voters’ minds at every election.
Hovis concluded her presentation by taking questions from the audience. Questions included the effects of abortion bans on medical school instruction, the impact of restrictions on Black people, data privacy, HIPAA laws, and the separation of church and state.