Twenty-one of the nation’s 24 Democratic governors met in a consortium Monday to plot methods to develop abortion entry of their states and assist ladies from pink states terminate pregnancies.
Led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Reproductive Freedom Alliance held its inaugural assembly in Los Angeles, the place the group stated governors shared pro-choice victories they achieved over the previous yr to “build a firewall for reproductive freedom in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned last summer.”
Those reproductive well being victories included legal guidelines increasing contraceptive choices and transgender entry to gender-transition therapies along with authorized, legislative, poll and government actions geared toward thwarting abortion restrictions in pink states.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek touted her latest growth of abortion suppliers and gender-affirming care entry in two measures that handed the state Legislature final month after GOP lawmakers staged a six-week walkout.
“We made strides again this year to protect abortion patients and providers, expand access to gender-affirming care, and secure access to essential medication despite baseless lawsuits that put politics above science,” Ms. Kotek stated. “Even Oregon is not immune from the attacks on health care rights we are seeing in states across the country.”
The governors additionally heard briefings from abortion suppliers on the fragmentation of entry to the process after the Supreme Court dominated final yr to overturn the constitutional proper to abort a fetus and returned jurisdiction to state legislatures. About half the states have since moved to limit abortion, whereas the opposite half have expanded it.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul famous that her deep blue state enacted legal guidelines defending abortion rights, together with entry to abortion drugs that make up most procedures, and making a $30 million fund to assist abortion suppliers.
“Together with my fellow pro-choice governors, I’m committed to doing everything in my power to ensure women across America have improved access to safe, legal abortion care,” Ms. Hochul stated.
Besides deep blue states like California and New York, executives from each Democrat-led presidential battleground state attended Monday’s assembly. They included Govs. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
“Protecting access to women’s reproductive health care is a top priority, and today’s conversation allowed us to exchange ideas and hear from providers who are on the front lines of this work,” stated Mr. Cooper, whose state enacted a 12-week abortion ban this month after the Legislature’s GOP supermajority overrode his veto. “Your ZIP code shouldn’t determine your rights, but because of this Supreme Court, that’s where we are.”
Other pro-choice governors in attendance Monday: Arizona’s Katie Hobbs, Colorado’s Jared Polis, Connecticut’s Ned Lamont, Delaware’s John Carney, Hawaii’s Josh Green, Illinois’ J.B. Pritzker, Maine’s Janet Mills, Maryland’s Wes Moore, Massachusetts’ Maura Healey, Minnesota’s Tim Walz, New Jersey’s Phil Murphy, New Mexico’s Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rhode Island’s Dan McKee and Washington’s Jay Inslee.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam, a U.S. territory, additionally attended the assembly.
Three Democratic governors of pink states didn’t attend: Louisiana’s John Bel Edwards, who helps his state’s latest abortion ban with some exceptions for the well being of the mom and rape and incest; Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, who helps some restrictions on late-term abortions; and Kansas’ Laura Kelly, who has vetoed a number of pro-life payments handed by the Legislature’s GOP majority.
Senior workers members of the 21 gubernatorial workplaces that attended will sit down later this week to debate follow-up actions and plan a second assembly of governors later this yr, the alliance stated.
Announced in February, the alliance lets governors and their staffs share mannequin statutory language and government orders increasing abortion entry, authorized defenses in opposition to prosecution, methods to maximise federal funding for contraception and assist for producers of abortion treatment and contraceptives.
The alliance has obtained startup funding from the California Wellness Foundation and the Rosenberg Foundation, two left-leaning advocacy teams.
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