It felt like a “gut punch” when Pam Gates heard that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade—a 1973 ruling that said women had the constitutional right to an abortion—after 50 years of standing.
“Now it’s [about asking] ‘Where do we go from here? How do we unite? How do we protect what rights we have in California?’” the longtime community activist and volunteer for the Santa Maria Valley Women’s March said.
The Women’s March hosted a vigil after the decision was announced on June 24. People protested in the streets, and individuals shared their own experiences with abortions, Gates told the Sun on June 26.
“People actually felt the need to share some stories, and we ended up having an open mic for 45 minutes and sat with all the stories told. It reinforces the understanding that this is not a frivolous decision. It impacts the woman’s and man’s life,” she said. “The depth of anger and all the other emotions shows to me that people are getting [the] need to pay attention, to vote, and to understand all the candidates.”
California voters will have a lot of important decisions to make in November, and people need to educate themselves on all candidates’ priorities and goals, Gates said. Along with selecting representatives at all levels, voters will also see a state Constitutional amendment to explicitly protect a person’s right to an abortion added to their ballots, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
In addition, Newsom signed an executive order on June 27 to further protect women coming to California from states that have restricted abortion access. The order prevents state agencies and departments from sharing any information—including medical records and patient data—in response to inquiries from states with restricted access.
Luz Reyes-Martín, Planned Parenthood of California Central Coast’s vice president of community engagement, said these actions are crucial because many California abortion laws still reference the constitutional right to privacy and Roe v. Wade.
“There was quite a lot of work on the state side to meet this moment and have California as the reproductive freedom state. We [at Planned Parenthood] are going to do everything we can to care for people who need access to abortion care,” Reyes-Martín said.
The state formed the California Future of Abortion Council after several waves of anti-abortion laws were passed in other states. The council includes representation from many reproductive rights groups—such as Planned Parenthood—physicians, and legal scholars who met between September and December 2021 to discuss state abortion access, she explained.
“They released a report with over 40 recommendations to prepare and double down to ensure access in California,” Reyes-Martín said. “From December to now, that has turned into budget requests and legislation that’s moved through the Legislature.”
At the local level, Planned Parenthood hired more staff and opened new Central Coast locations in preparation for an anticipated influx in patients from out-of-state after Texas passed SB 8—an abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy. Although she didn’t have data or numbers to share, she did say that Central Coast locations have seen an increase in out-of-state patients since then and are expecting numbers to grow.
“The way you can try to think about it is: We are putting this on 24 states to take on the health care needs of 26 other states. We expect 26 states will be poised to move very quickly,” she explained. “We are now talking about 36 million women and more people who can become pregnant who are very quickly finding themselves in a state where they can’t access care.”
For people looking to get involved, Reyes-Martín suggested people volunteer at their local Planned Parenthood, the Santa Maria Valley Women’s March, and donate to abortion funds, along with voting in the general election.
“We have a very involved and active electorate on the Central Coast but we had a low turnout [during primaries], and we have a big election coming in November,” Reyes-Martín said. “It’s so important to vote in every election, every race, every time.”
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 7, 2022.