Three bills clarify abortion rights, protect maternal health, and expand access to contraceptives
On Monday, December 2, the first day of the California legislative session, District 18 Assemblymember Mia Bonta announced a package of bills reflecting her continued push to improve women’s health in the state.
“Despite recent progress, it is clear there is still more to do to protect reproductive and maternal health in the state, particularly for our most vulnerable populations, including Black, Latino, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and low-income communities who are facing disproportionately worse health outcomes,” Bonta stated in a newsletter to constituents.
Bonta chairs the Assembly Health Committee. The bills she introduced are AB 40 – Protecting Pregnant Patients Act; AB 55 – Birth Center Licensure Streamlining; and AB 50 – Over-the-Counter Birth Control Equity.
AB 40 – Protecting Pregnant Patients Act
The Protecting Pregnant Patients Act would clarify that abortion care is an emergency service, “ensuring that no one in California would be turned away from care when they need it most,” Bonta stated.
“I’m introducing the Protecting Pregnant Patients Act because no one facing an emotional, vulnerable, and potentially life-threatening decision should be denied care, told to go home, or forced to drive to the next hospital,” Bonta said. “Abortion is healthcare, including emergency care, and this bill makes clear California treats it as such.”
Onyemma Obiekea, Policy Director of the Black Women for Wellness Action Project (BWWAP), said, “Everyone experiencing a health emergency has the right to receive stabilizing care, including abortion. As we learn about devastating story after story of women in abortion ban states who have died because they did not receive the emergency abortion care that they needed, we in California must realize that our state is not immune from such tragedies.”
Ronald Coleman Baeza, Managing Director of Policy with the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, added, “Hospitals in California have a duty to provide emergency care to anyone coming through their doors who urgently needs to be stabilized to avoid death. No hospital has a right to discriminate against patients based on the type of care they need, and AB 40 makes it clear that reproductive health services, including abortion, must be provided when needed to stabilize a patient. Longstanding maternal disparities impacting black women and other communities of color will only worsen if hospitals continue to flagrantly disregard our state’s laws.”
AB 55 – Birth Center Licensure Streamlining
“California continues to struggle to address concerning trends in maternal health,” Bonta stated. “Even more worrisome is that licensed birth centers, which have been found to improve newborn and maternal health outcomes, have continued to close across the state.”
California has a population of more than 38 million people, but “is down to a mere five licensed birth centers,” the newsletter noted. “Midwives and nurses at the shuttered and remaining facilities have pointed to overly burdensome and extraneous licensure requirements as a significant factor causing these centers to close.
“Eliminating requirements that are only driving up prices for providers and are irrelevant to patient safety is a much-needed step to ensure our remaining birth centers can stay afloat and lay the groundwork for more facilities to open,” Bonta said. “This bill is particularly important for combatting the worsening maternal health trends under our current system that are disproportionately impacting Black and Indigenous pregnant patients and could be better addressed by accessible culturally concordant care.”
Alternative birth centers have been found to improve newborn birth rates, decrease the rate of cesarean birth, promote successful breastfeeding, save money, and even decrease racial health disparities, Bonta’s newsletter noted.
Sandra Poole, Health Policy Advocate at the Western Center on Law & Poverty, said that “AB 55 increases access to birth centers, which provide a safe alternative and excellent outcomes for birthing people and infants. As a proud co-sponsor of AB 55, Western Center on Law and Poverty applauds Assemblymember Bonta’s commitment to addressing the crisis in maternity care access for at-risk communities.”
AB 50 – Over-the-Counter Birth Control Equity
AB 50 will ensure that Medi-Cal recipients will be able to access over-the-counter birth control without having to navigate many of the same barriers they face in getting prescription medicines.
“Over-the-counter birth control is ensuring that contraceptives are readily available to more people than ever. We should not stifle this progress by leaving Medi-Cal recipients behind and making low-income communities take more steps than their peers on private insurance to access medication,” Bonta said. “AB 50 will ensure equity and fairness by removing these hoops for those on Medi-Cal.”
Amy Moy, Co-CEO of Essential Access Health, said, “California is a leader in enacting comprehensive and inclusive contraceptive coverage requirements, but work remains to guarantee equitable access to the full range of birth control methods for all Californians. Action is needed to ensure that Medi-Cal enrollees have the same contraceptive access as people with private health insurance. AB 50 will close a loophole to allow people with Medi-Cal coverage to get over-the-counter methods, including the birth control pill Opill, without a prescription or out-of-pocket costs.”
Moy added, “As we face an incoming Administration and Congress hostile to reproductive freedom, it’s imperative and time-sensitive for the state to take every step possible to create a more just and equitable health care system for all Californians.”
In her newsletter, Bonta expressed her gratitude for the support these bills have already gotten from my constituents, grassroots organizations, and local leaders. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the legislature to get these crucial pieces of legislation signed into law,” she stated.
Assemblymember Mia Bonta represents California’s 18th Assembly District, which encompasses the East Bay including Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville. Her Capitol Office phone number is 916- 319-2018. Her District Office is located at 1515 Clay Street, Suite 2204, Oakland; phone 510- 286-1670.
