Proposition 1 on the Nov. 8 ballot — dubbed the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment — asks California voters to amend the state Constitution to prohibit the state from interfering with or denying an individual’s reproductive freedom, defined as a right to an abortion and a right to contraceptives.
Atkins is president pro tempore of the California Senate. She lives in San Diego. DiGiorgio Johnson is president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. She lives in San Diego County.
Just a few months ago, our nation was turned upside down when the Supreme Court, in one fell swoop, ripped decades of rights and freedoms from Americans who relied on the protections afforded under Roe v. Wade for access to essential reproductive health care.
Fortunately — or unfortunately — we had known that this decision was coming for a long time, as recent and radical changes to the Supreme Court had foreshadowed what we feared could happen. We were prepared. Our partnership of legislators, providers and allies were ready to fight back and stand strong. Unified in our effort to protect vital access to reproductive health care, we took action to show that California will continue to serve patients and welcome those from out of state who had nowhere else to go.
But serving the community and expanding access to reproductive health care in our community health centers is not enough. We know that health care decisions — including those concerning abortion — should be between individuals and their health care providers. It shouldn’t be up for political debate. We must protect the right to essential services like abortion and contraceptives so that no matter what political party is in control, or who sits on the courts, abortion access will be preserved in California.
That’s why we’re asking voters to join us in voting “yes” on Proposition 1 this fall.
Proposition 1 would amend the California Constitution to expressly include an individual’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom — which includes the fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and the fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.
Abortion is currently protected in California under the right to privacy and equal protection, the same framework that federal laws used to uphold the right to abortion under Roe v. Wade, until the recent reversal of that decision. Years before the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, the California Supreme Court recognized the right to an abortion and the right to choose or refuse contraception, which was created under the state’s privacy protection. And while abortion is still legal in California under current statute, it has become clear that we must explicitly add abortion rights into the California Constitution, and not only rely on the privacy protections, to ensure that these rights are safeguarded here at home for generations to come. The right to an abortion was undone across the country in one fell swoop, and we cannot allow the same to happen here in California.
Proposition 1 is written with a framework in mind, just as all constitutional amendments, to capture the language of principles and broad rights, providing a skeletal outline in the California Constitution. This ensures that as a fundamental right, access to reproductive health care will be protected to the most stringent level of constitutional review.
We have dedicated our careers to ensuring that access to affordable, comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, is available throughout our communities, because we know that those freedoms allow people to plan their lives, achieve their dreams, and decide if and when to have children.
Before the Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973, people needing abortions were often forced to travel long distances or seek care through illegal channels, even in the most extreme cases of rape or incest. Today, we’re hearing those same heartbreaking stories once again, and while we will continue doing everything in our power to care for those patients who seek care in California, we must look ahead and do more.
Proposition 1 will ensure that in California, we don’t retreat to the dark days of desperate decisions, but instead prepare for the future, because our children shouldn’t have fewer rights today than their grandparents did in the 1970s.
Earlier this month, Kansas voters sent a clear message to the rest of the nation with their historic rejection of a law that would have banned abortion in the state: We will not let extreme politicians make decisions about our health care.
We must keep the momentum going and put our values into action — in California, a person’s most intimate medical decisions are theirs alone, and we support an individual’s freedom to make choices about their health, their bodies, and their futures.
Please join us in voting “yes” on Proposition 1.
