Advocates for reproductive rights are endorsing Rob Bonta in his re-election bid for California Attorney General, and calling out other candidates for not supporting efforts to expand access to abortion in the state.
鈥淚 cannot overemphasize the importance at this moment of having a champion for reproductive freedom in the Office of Attorney General in California, and that attorney general is Rob Bonta,鈥� said Shannon Olivieri Hovis with NARAL Pro-Choice California.
Bonta is the only Democrat in the race, but advocates say he鈥檚 also the only one who鈥檚 spoken in favor of expanding reproductive care 鈥� and legal protections 鈥� in California.
Hovis praised Bonta for filing an amicus brief against a Mississippi law at the center of the case that could overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion nationwide.
鈥淎t the Department of Justice, we've moved aggressively to defend abortion rights and take on states who have limited abortion access,鈥� Bonta said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 why this race is so important this year.鈥�
He has also issued legal alerts to prevent local prosecutors in California from charging a mother with fetal murder if their child is stillborn. A bill in the state Legislature would but drew hundreds of anti-abrtion demonstrators to the state Capitol this week.
Advocates have praised those measures and called on the other candidates in the race to do more. They said Republicans Nathan Hochman and Eric Early, along with Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who is running as an independent, did not respond to their questions about whether they would continue efforts to defend reproductive rights in California.
鈥淭hese candidates are just severely out of step and it鈥檚 not surprising that they鈥檝e been silent,鈥� Hovis said. 鈥淏ut it is shameful, especially in a state like California and especially in a national moment like this.鈥�
According to a July survey by the Public Policy Institute of California,.
Schubert said in a statement that she supports a person鈥檚 right to get an abortion.
鈥淚f a woman from another state wishes to come to California to exercise that right, I support that. But I don鈥檛 think California should be paying for it,鈥� she said.
Early said he would review the Supreme Court decision when it comes down and that he is 鈥減ro-life.鈥� Hochman did not respond to a request for comment.
Jodi Hicks, Presdent and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, took issue with Schubert鈥檚 statement about using state funds to pay for abortions.
鈥淭he stakes have never been higher and what we don't need is an attorney general that silent on issue of abortion rights, and we don't need an attorney general that has qualifiers,鈥� she said.
As the Supreme Court considers the Mississippi law, which bans abortions after 15 weeks鈥� gestation, states including Texas and Oklahoma have moved to severely restrict abortion. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, it will implement 鈥渢rigger laws鈥� in a number of other states to criminalize or restrict the procedure.
According to the Guttmaccher Institute, an abortion-rights research group, California would become the closest state to obtain a legal abortion for more than 1.4 million patients if Roe v. Wade is thrown out.
Hicks said California has already seen an increase in patients from Texas and expects more if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the Mississippi law.
In preparation for a potential flood of new patients, California lawmakers are considering several , including an abortion fund for lower-income patients.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last month signed a bill to prevent insurance companies for charging out-of-pocket costs for an abortion.
Copyright 2002 CapRadio