Senator Portantino Honored to Present Reproductive Freedom Act, SCA 10 Passes Senate Appropriations Committee
For Immediate Release: June 16, 2022
Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400
Senator Portantino Honored to Present Reproductive Freedom Act, SCA 10 Passes Senate Appropriations Committee
Sacramento, CA – Senate Constitutional Amendment 10 ensures that the fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and to use contraception is protected in California. Today, it passed the Senate Appropriation Committee. SCA 10 was introduced by Senate Pro Tem Atkins and Assembly Speaker Rendon earlier this month. Senator Portantino, a Principal Co-author, presented the measure in the Senate Appropriations Committee on behalf of the legislative coalition.
“SCA 10 is about establishing explicitly in California’s Constitution what our State Supreme Court has held for more than five decades: the decision to have an abortion is between a patient and their medical provider,” stated Senator Anthony Portantino. “No judge, no politician should be in that room, or making that decision. Right now, we are on the brink of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that will topple Roe v. Wade - putting women at significant risk. I am proud to be a principal co-author of SCA 10 and join my colleagues to move forward an important and necessary constitutional amendment that ensures a women’s right to choose.”
Four decades, the California Supreme Court upheld the fundamental constitutional right to procreative choice – a right that follows from the state’s recognition of the right to privacy in matters relating to marriage, family, and sex. (People v. Belous (1969) 71 Cal.2d 954.) Following this decision, California voters passed a constitutional amendment in 1972 to explicitly provide for the constitutional right to privacy. One year later, the United States issued its decision in Roe v. Wade, holding that the decision on whether or not to terminate a pregnancy rests with the woman and not the government.
On May 2, 2022, a draft of a majority opinion by United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Alito was leaked, revealing the Court’s intent to reverse Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The draft opinion stated that “abortion has [no] sound basis in precedent” and that “Roe and Casey must be overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives.”
Given the pending United States Supreme Court decision, California is preparing to take steps to protect the reproductive freedom of women. SCA 10 will place a constitutional amendment on the November 2022 ballot for California voters to explicitly provide for the fundamental constitutional right to abortion and the right to choose or refuse contraceptives by providing that the State shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions. Furthermore, SCA 10 specifies that this amendment is intended to further the constitutional right to privacy and equal protection.
SCA 10 continues California’s long history and commitment to protecting reproductive freedom and providing reproductive services to women and their families.
“As the proud father of two daughters, a neighbor, and compassionate policy maker, it saddens me to see the well-being of women and girls being misused in a misguided and mean spirited political agenda. I am proud to serve with Pro Tem Atkins, who proposed this necessary constitutional amendment and I stand as a supporter of this significant women’s healthcare and civil rights protection,” concluded Senator Portantino.
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