UPCOMING CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION
Keep up to date on the latest legislation in the 2024 California legislative session. Check out our analysis, or visit California Family Council’s Legislation Watch List and Real Impact’s Legislation Tracker for more information!
AB 2490 – Training Emergency Personnel to Provide Abortions
This bill, officially titled “Reproductive Health Emergency Preparedness Program,” aims to train personnel in emergency rooms across California to perform abortions and provide care for miscarriages. Emergency departments at hospitals are given the responsibility to oversee these programs. However, another outside organization will be included to administer grants, train personnel, and provide technical support. These organizations may be those such as Planned Parenthood. Funding aims to increase access to services including pregnancy emergencies and abortion. One goal of the funding is to “correct common misinformation about abortion” in training with emergency personnel. The bill expresses a desire funding be used to start implementing greater use of abortion pills in emergency departments. Furthermore, emergency personnel are to be trained in surgical and manual abortions if the emergency department chooses to receive this training.
Analysis
While there may be benefits to enhancing training for emergency personnel to provide care for pregnancy emergencies, the bill is clearly designed to increase abortion access through emergency rooms. The bill focuses on abortion throughout, not on other pregnancy emergency management services. The author of the bill expresses the desire that emergency rooms be used to increase abortion access. Christians may be able to support a version of this bill that removes all abortion-related language and instead focuses on training for other pregnancy care services. However, the bill in its current form will increase the loss of innocent life in California. The California Catholic Conference, for instance, contends this bill would push unwanted abortions on the vulnerable through emergency rooms.
There is some question over the role of emergency services in providing care for pregnancy-related issues, including miscarriages. Dr. Sarah Prager writes, “Most of the time, miscarriage is not an emergency -- though it can feel like one to the patient….I tell patients that miscarriages are common, and if they are not bleeding to the point of feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and as long as they are not very concerned about their bleeding or pain, they likely do not need to go to an emergency room and can wait to be seen in clinic….[Knowing that the miscarriage process cannot be stopped] can help patients avoid spending unnecessary time in an emergency department, only to be told to follow up with their healthcare provider in clinic.” Because many miscarriages are not emergencies, women experiencing miscarriages are often placed to the side while emergency rooms handle higher-priority patients. AB 2490 would be better off it focused on improving care for women experiencing miscarriages and preparing personnel to handle genuine emergencies. The degree to which this bill would help women in such crises is uncertain. Instead, it appears as if the goal of the bill is to increase abortion access.
Bill’s Status
Passed Assembly. Read second time in Senate and amended. Re-referred to Committee on Appropriation. (7/3/2024).
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SB 233 – Licensing Arizona Doctors to Provide Abortions in California
This bill, officially titled “Practice of medicine: Arizona physicians: abortions and abortion-related care for Arizona patients,” allows doctors licensed in Arizona who meet requirements to provide abortions to Arizona residents seeking abortions in California through November 30, 2024. Once the doctors follow the bill’s process of approval, they may begin to perform abortions. These doctors may not practice any other kind of medicine but may only perform abortions.
Bill’s Status
Passed Assembly, Senate, and signed into law by the Governor. Effective immediately. (5/23/2024)
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AB 1825 – Allowing Explicit Content in Libraries
This bill, officially titled “California Freedom to Read Act,” would prohibit libraries and governing bodies from restricting or limiting access to book solely because they “contain inclusive and diverse perspectives, or…that the materials may include sexual content.” This bill does not apply to school libraries.
Bill’s Status
Passed Assembly. Read first time in Senate and re-referred to Committee on Appropriations. (7/3/2024).
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SB 954 – Condom Distribution at Schools
This bill, officially titled “Sexual health,” would require all public schools to make free condoms available to all high school students, among other requirements. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, schools would be required to inform students condoms are available and where they can be obtained. In addition, schools must allow the distribution of condoms on junior high campuses (grades 7-8) during educational or public health programs. Schools are encouraged to partner with other organizations, which are likely to include Planned Parenthood. Furthermore, retail stores would almost always be unable to refuse sale of condoms to anyone based on age.
Bill’s Status
Passed Senate. Read first time, passed Assembly Committees on Health and Education, awaiting third reading and floor vote. (6/26/2024).
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AB 1825 Allowing Sexual Content at Public Libraries
This bill, officially titled “California Freedom to Read Act,” would require all public libraries that receive State funding to write a publicly available policy on content collection and selection by January 1, 2026. This policy would guide the selection and removal of library materials and create a process for community members to express their concerns over material or request material be brought back into the library. The policy must also acknowledge that its materials serve the diverse interests of the community. Libraries would not be allowed to ban library materials because of the ideas, views, or opinions contained in the books. Libraries may not exclude materials on the sole basis of the author’s protected characteristics (including gender identity and sexual orientation) or the intended audience, because the materials contain inclusive and diverse perspectives, or because the material has sexual content. The only exception is if the content is considered obscene under United States Supreme Court precedent.
Bill’s Status
Passed Assembly. Read second time in Senate and re-referred to Committee on Appropriations. (7/3/2024).
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AB 2085 – Expediting Abortion Facility Permitting Approval
Many new proposed building projects are subject to the California Environmental Quality Assurance Act (CEQA), which requires an environmental impact assessment of the potential project. These reviews can be costly, time-consuming, and limit the types of facilities that may be built. This bill, officially titled “Planning and zoning: permitted use: community clinic,” would expedite the permitting of newly constructed abortion facilities by declaring them a permitted use in many zones, largely exempting them from CEQA requirements. This change has the potential to expedite the construction and operation of new abortion facilities.
Bill’s Status
Passed Assembly. Re-referred to Committee on Appropriations. (7/3/2024)
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AB 2442 – Expediting Licensing Process for Transgender Services
This bill, officially titled, “Healing arts: expedited licensure process: gender-affirming health care and gender-affirming mental health care,” would expedite the process for those seeking to become licensed to practice gender-affirming care and gender-affirming mental health care. The Medical Board of California, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, the Board of Registered Nursing, and the Physician Assistant Board, would be required to design procedures to further this end. This bill would be effective until January 1, 2029.
Bill’s Status
Passed Assembly. Read second time in Senate and ordered to third reading. (6/18/2024).
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AB 3146 – Banning Sex-Reassignment for Minors
This bill, officially titled “Healing arts: sex-reassignment,” would declare it to be the intent of the State Legislature to pass further legislation prohibiting health care providers from prescribing sex-reassignment to minors unless certain conditions are met.
Bill’s Status
Read first time in Assembly. (2/17/2024)
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