California leaders move to put abortion rights into the state Constitution: ‘We will fight.’

California leaders are calling for an amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing abortion rights as the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to overturn federal protections.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, on Monday night issued a statement pushing for the amendment in response to a draft Supreme Court opinion showing justices could overturn Roe vs. Wade.

“California will not stand idly by as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for gets erased,” the leaders said. “We will fight. California is proposing an amendment to enshrine the right to choose in our state constitution so that there is no doubt as to the right to abortion in this state.”

Politico obtained the draft opinion, which shows the court appears ready to strike down the 1973 decision that allows all people to legally end pregnancies nationwide.

Justices would overturn Roe vs. Wade as part of their decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a lawsuit challenging a Mississippi law outlawing abortions after 15 weeks with few exceptions.

The court won’t issue its official decision for a couple of months, but ending federal protections would mean states would be given the sole authority to regulate abortion care.

To change California’s constitution, two-thirds of lawmakers in both the Senate and the Assembly would need to approve an amendment, which would then go to voters as a ballot measure.

“We know we can’t trust the Supreme Court to protect reproductive rights, so California will build a firewall around this right in our state constitution,” the leaders said. “Women will remain protected here.”

This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 7:31 AM with the headline "California leaders move to put abortion rights into the state Constitution: ‘We will fight.’."