A bill that aims to protect health care providers sending abortion pills and patients who receive them has made its way to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
AB 260, authored by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), would “authorize a pharmacist to dispense mifepristone or other drug used for medication abortion without the name of the patient, the name of the prescriber, or the name and address of the pharmacy, subject to specified requirements,” according to the bill’s text.
Pharmacists would be required to maintain a log “that is not open to inspection by law enforcement without a subpoena and would prohibit the disclosure of the information to an individual or entity from another state.”
“California must stand firm in the facts and our values,” Aguiar-Curry previously said in a statement. “This is especially important with the federal government trying to restrict access and the proposed state budget cuts to healthcare. Reproductive healthcare is basic, essential health care. AB 260 ensures we protect patients, providers, and our fundamental rights.”
Should Newsom sign the bill, it would make it harder for states with abortion bans to develop evidence to make legal cases against doctors and others operating under shield laws, which were adopted to protect abortion pill prescribers after the Supreme Court revoked the national right to abortion, according to The New York Times.
Shield laws prevent state officials from cooperating with out-of-state legal actions, such as subpoenas, extradition requests, and civil or criminal penalties.
Still, not everyone is in favor of the proposed bill.
California Baptist for Biblical Values, California Family Council, One Individual, and the Pacific Justice Institute Center for Public Policy have opposed the bill, according to CalMatters.
Newsom has until Oct. 12 to sign or veto the bill.