SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters will decide in November whether to guarantee the right to an abortion in their state constitution.
State lawmakers on Monday voted to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot this year.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, which let states decide whether to allow abortion. California is run by Democrats who support abortion rights, but the legal right to an abortion in California is based on a right to privacy in the state constitution.
The amendment would prevent the government from interfering with a person's right to an abortion or contraceptives.
Monday state, federal and local leaders gathered at the San Diego County Administration building to voice their support for Senate Constitutional Amendment 10.
State Senator Toni Atkins co-sponsored the bill. " The Supreme Court decision is everything we feared it would be, but hear me when I say this, we will not be shoved back into the dark days of desperate decisions. Abortion is healthcare plain and simple," said Senator Atkins.
The Democratic leaders say they are united in their fight to protect reproductive rights in California and beyond.
"We won't stop until every person in every state has access to fundamental rights," said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs.
SCA 10 passed both houses with a two-thirds majority vote, the only requirement for it to qualify for the November 2022 ballot.
It does not need to be signed by the governor.
