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Since 1967, abortion in the state of California has been legal. This all began with the Therapeutic Abortion Act which was signed by, then governor, Ronald Regan. The California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League states: “[The law] expanded legal abortion in California under very restrictive criteria [. . .] it requires the procedure must take place in a hospital, within the first twenty weeks of pregnancy, and only in cases of rape, incest, or if the life or mental health of the mother is at risk” (“California”). To this day, the Therapeutic Abortion Act is still in effect throughout California. Fortunately for people who are pro-life and do not agree with the current abortion act, Governor Gray Davis has recently proposed more condense, specific abortion bills which should be passed. These bills will change the way the government of California is perceived from now on. Mark Sappenfield claims the four bills being introduced are “The most ambitious package of abortion-rights bills in U.S. history” (94: 204). The first bill proposed to “shield clinics and their employees and patients from harassment by blocking public access to names and addresses of the clinics themselves and all those associated with them” (94: 204). This provides women with comfort during a stressful time. It also provides women who are unsure of what they are doing the security that people will not be around pressuring them to change their mind because the abortion will be fully anonymous. The second bill “requires all medical-residency programs for obstetricians and gynecologists to give abortion training, though institutions and individuals can opt out for reasons of religion or conscience” (94: 204). The training allows women the knowledge that their doctor is performing a safe surgery and the woman does not have to worry about infertility or death. A third bill “mandate[s] that emergency-room staff tell victims of sexual abuse about emergency contraception, [and] then give it to them without charge if they ask for it” (94: 204). These are pills such as RU-486, which is designed to kill the fetus without medical surgery. Finally, it “allows[s] nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion drugs” (94: 204). The bills are enacted to provide safe help for women to receive quality care, if they do, in fact, decide they need and/or want an abortion. The first abortion bill that is trying to be passed is a positive bill, not only for the people that choose to have abortions, but for the people who choose to harass the women having abortions.
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