Bill Text: CA AR71 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Relative to Planned Parenthood.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 48-1)

Status: (Passed) 2018-01-22 - Read. Adopted. (Ayes 50. Noes 21. Page 3810.). [AR71 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AR71-Amended.html

Amended  IN  Assembly  January 16, 2018

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

House Resolution No. 71


Introduced by Assembly Member Caballero

January 12, 2018


Relative to Planned Parenthood.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


HR 71, as amended, Caballero.

WHEREAS, January 22, 2018, marks the 45th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which affirmed that every woman has a fundamental right to abortion, and is an occasion deserving of celebration; and
WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade has been the cornerstone of the ability of women to control their own bodies, allowing every woman in the United States the right to decide if, when, and with whom to have children; and
WHEREAS, Access to reproductive health care, including abortion, has facilitated and expanded women’s economic and societal participation in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Abortion is a medical procedure that nearly one in four women in the United States will access; and
WHEREAS, The State of California, home to nearly 20 million American women, has no state restrictions upon abortion accessibility, and at least 95% of women in California live in a county with an abortion provider; and
WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood health centers across California are the largest providers of safe, affordable, and medically accurate abortion services in the state; and
WHEREAS, Reproductive and sexual health care, and providers like Planned Parenthood, are under serious, unrelenting attack for providing essential reproductive and sexual health care information and procedures, such as abortion; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly urges the President of the United States and the Congress of the United States to express their support for the fundamental right to abortion and bodily autonomy, as well as their support for access to comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care, including the services provided by Planned Parenthood; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.

WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood has provided critical and affordable reproductive health care for millions of women, men, and young people for over a century; and

WHEREAS, Services provided by Planned Parenthood include, but are not limited to, contraceptive care, pregnancy tests, cancer screenings, and sexually transmitted disease testing; and

WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood has national and international reach. It is present in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with 56 affiliates that operate 600 health centers throughout the country. Globally, Planned Parenthood has partnered with 12 focus countries in Africa and Latin America and has reached nearly 1.5 million people internationally with reproductive health education and services; and

WHEREAS, One in five women in the United States has visited a Planned Parenthood health center. Its Internet Web sites, one of which is written entirely in Spanish, receive an estimated 68 million visits in a single year; and

WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood provides compassionate, professional, and culturally sensitive care to people of all ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, ages, immigration statuses, and faiths. Seventy-five percent of patients have incomes of 150 percent of the federal poverty level or less, which is the equivalent of $36,900 a year for a family of four in 2017. More than one-third of the 2.4 million patients Planned Parenthood affiliates have served are people of color. This includes approximately 500,000 patients that identify themselves as Latino and approximately 360,000 patients that identify themselves as Black; and

WHEREAS, Roughly one-half of the federal funding that Planned Parenthood receives nationwide goes to covering the health care and family planning costs of mostly low-income Californians; and

WHEREAS, Thanks to a long history of progressive state policies, many of which were put into place 30 years ago under Republican Governor Pete Wilson, California has hosted a friendly environment for Planned Parenthood and people who seek its services. Planned Parenthood has consequently become one of California’s largest health care providers, operating 115 clinics in the state and serving 850,000 patients every year. This is nearly one third of the 2.5 million patients Planned Parenthood serves nationwide; and

WHEREAS, Despite providing critical care to millions of patients, and in many cases being the sole provider of care for low-income and minority individuals who could not otherwise afford reproductive care, Planned Parenthood is under siege by the current presidential administration and antiabortion groups. Current federal budget proposals bar Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from receiving federal funds, either through the form of Medicaid or Title X funding; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly supports Planned Parenthood and all of the women that it serves and will work to protect women’s rights; and be it further

Resolved, That the Assembly opposes any change to the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade or effort to defund Planned Parenthood; and be it further

Resolved, That the Assembly honors Planned Parenthood, including the pivotal work it does in California’s communities and the countless women it serves who would otherwise have no access to healthcare; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk provide copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

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