California Gov. Gavin Newsom is welcoming women across the country who are seeking abortions to come have the procedure done in his home state.
In a Friday letter, Newsom joined Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in urging states “to review their laws and enact their own protections” after states such as Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Mississippi recently passed stringent laws that would curb access to abortion.
“In the absence of federal leadership on this issue, states must step up and put in place their own protections – both in statute and in their state constitutions, and through the expansion of family planning and education – to defend every American’s right to reproductive freedom,” the governors wrote. “Roe is settled law, but newly enacted and clearly unconstitutional laws in a handful of states compel our states to act now to reaffirm longstanding commitments to safeguard the fundamental rights of women.”