DATE:
May 24, 2022
25
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
IN SUPPORT OF EFFORTS TO AMEND THE CALIFORNIA STATE CONSTITUTION TO ENSHRINE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
This year marked the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision that determined the U.S. Constitution provides a right to privacy that protects a person's right to terminate a pregnancy. Prior to Roe v. Wade, abortion had been illegal throughout much of the country. The Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and thereby allow states to make abortion illegal within their borders.
Research suggests that the health of pregnant people will be put at risk without the right to choose, and maternal deaths will be inequitably concentrated among people living in poverty and people of color, with Black individuals already three times more likely to die during birth than white individuals.
As a result of years of advocacy, California has been recognized as the state with the strongest protections of rights to reproductive freedom. In light of the possibility that Roe v. Wade could be overturned, Governor Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore, and California Assembly Speaker are seeking to ensure the State Constitution reflects these California values. In contrast, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, over two dozen states are likely to ban abortions or severely restrict access, with at least 13 states already having passed "trigger laws" that would ban abortions immediately or shortly after such a decision.
This board letter recommends that the San Diego County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution to formally support efforts to enshrine in the California Constitution a person's right to choose whether to give birth. The proposed resolution is consistent with this Board's previous actions. On September 20, 2021, the Board of Supervisors approved a board letter "Declaring San Diego County a Reproductive Justice Champion." In that ...
Click here for full text