Democratic governors form alliance on abortion rights

Gavin Newsom, shown speaking in Sacramento last month, is among the Democratic governors seeking to strengthen abortion access. Democratic governors in 20 states are launching a network intended to strengthen abortion access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision nixing a woman’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy and instead shifting regulatory powers over the procedure to state governments. to have more of a national voice.” That includes, organizers said, sharing model statutory language and executive orders protecting abortion access, ways to protect abortion providers from prosecution, strategies to maximize federal financing for reproductive healthcare such as birth control, and support for manufacturers of abortion medication and contraceptives that face potential new restrictions from conservatives. In a statement, Newsom called the effort, which he and his aides spent months organizing, “a moral obligation” and a “firewall” to protect “fundamental rights.” The group includes executives of heavily Democratic states such as California, where voters overwhelmingly approve of abortion rights, but also involves every presidential battleground state led by a Democrat, including Govs. “We’re going to codify equality on abortion rights, reproductive rights and care in as narrow as possible a way.” New Mexico’s process, she said, could become a model for other similarly situated states.