SUPERVISORS VOTE TO EXAMINE ABORTION ACCESS IN COUNTY
Board’s vote split on study, support for state amendment on abortion
San Diego County health officials will study the availability of abortion and other reproductive health care in the county and explore ways to expand those services, following a split vote by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
In a separate item, the board also signaled support for a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to abortion in California.
Supervisors Nathan Fletcher, Nora Vargas and Terra LawsonRemer, all Democrats, voted for the measures, while Supervisor Jim Desmond, one of two Republicans on the board, opposed them. Supervisor Joel Anderson was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.
“Preserving our residents’ access to quality reproductive health care services, while serving others seeking the same services, is critical,” stated a board letter by
Vargas and Fletcher.
A draft Supreme Court decision leaked to Politico on May 2 revealed the court was poised to overturn the landmark 1973 decision, which guaranteed federal protection of abortion rights. The draft ruling triggered a flurry of action by abortion foes and defenders, in anticipation that states may soon be free to permit or prohibit abortion as they choose.
“Even though we were preparing for it for many years, I never really believed it would happen in the United States,” said Vargas, a former vice president for Planned Parenthood, who said she became involved in the issue to secure reproductive health care resources for women of color.
The day after the draft ruling was published, California Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, DSan Diego, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, and Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to introduce a state constitutional amendment ensuring the right to abortion.
Meanwhile, elected leaders in other states began preparing to enforce laws that would ban or severely restrict abortions within their borders. Many California leaders declared their intent to not only defend abortion rights in California, but also provide safe haven for women traveling from other states for the procedure.
“In light of the possibility that Roe v. Wade is overturned, we need to take action now,” Lawson-Remer said before the board vote in support of the amendment. “This constitutional amendment would build a firewall to ensure that we have access to safe and legal abortion.”
The supervisors also approved a plan to evaluate reproductive health services provided by the county and by other health care providers in the area and find ways to make that care more accessible. Reproductive health care affects issues including maternal and infant mortality, transmission rates of sexually transmitted diseases and other physical health outcomes, the letter stated.
“The actions we’re taking today are to have our county assess what reproductive health care is out there, is accessible, is available and identify any barriers for access to care that we could possibly as a board consider removing,” Fletcher said.
It also calls for the county to advocate for reproductive rights and health care at the state and federal level.
Some speakers expressed support and gratitude for the county measures, while others condemned them. One speaker said she had been a victim of sexual assault, and thanked the board for its efforts to keep options open for women in that situation.
“It’s crucial for San Diego County to continue to serve as a champion and model for reproductive freedom,” said Vernita Gutierrez, vice president of external affairs for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.
Others said they were appalled by the campaign to preserve the right to abortion, calling the procedure murder and a form of eugenics, or selective breeding. Some said they were particularly concerned about second or third trimester abortions.
“The further you go in the trimester, the more brutal it becomes,” one speaker said.
The tension extended to conversations between supervisors as well. Desmond opposed the measure, saying he agreed with plans to assess reproductive health services, but didn’t support expanding funding for them.
“Recommendation number two is too broad, in that it may include funding for extremely late term abortions, which polls suggest most people don’t agree with,” he said.
Vargas interrupted him to ask where he saw language on late-term abortion funding, and Desmond said he inferred that was possible as the board item didn’t state time limits on abortion services.
“That’s your interpretation, that is not what current law says,” Vargas said. “I just want to make sure it’s clear.”
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a final ruling on the challenge to Roe v. Wade by the end of June. Supervisors asked staff to return with an evaluation of reproductive health services and plans to enhance them within 150 days.