Know Your Reproductive Rights
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, abortion laws and access to care have varied substantially from state to state. California has taken steps to safeguard abortion rights and access during that time, including as recently as October 2023, when Governor Newsom signed measures bolstering privacy protections for personal reproductive health care data, safeguarding abortion providers against out-of-state legal action, and expanding abortion caretraining opportunities for medical residents and other providers, among other developments. In California, you have the legal right to privacy, including the right to choose abortion care, to choose or refuse birth control, and to access reproductive health care, free from harassment and discrimination.
As we face an unprecedented reproductive health care crisis nationwide, I am here with you and for you. I know that abortion care is health care. Reproductive rights are human rights, and you and all Californians deserve the freedom to make your own medical decisions—including about abortion.
Please review the resources below for information on knowing your rights, understanding Congressional action to advance reproductive freedom, and accessing care in California.
Know Your Rights & Access Care
On a national, state, and local level, you have rights, and you have options for access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care. Do you have questions about those rights and options? See the relevant resources below.
Federal: Biden Administration
National Rights & Resources
-
Department of Health and Human Services Reproductive Rights Resource Website HERE
-
Reproductive Health Q&A HERE
-
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
-
Department of Homeland Security
-
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
-
Medical Care Standards HERE
Reproductive Health Care Coverage
-
Department of Health and Human Services
-
Office of Secretary Xavier Becerra
-
HHS, Labor & Treasury Joint Guidance on Birth Control Coverage HERE
-
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
-
Department of Defense
-
Defense Health Agency
-
TRICARE Reproductive Health Coverage Policies HERE
-
Health Insurance Marketplace
-
Abortion Information HERE
-
Birth Control Information HERE
Family Planning Resources
-
Department of Health and Human Services
-
Office of Population Affairs
-
Adolescent Health & Family Planning Resources HERE
State: California
State Agencies
-
CA Department of Insurance Abortion Coverage FAQ HERE
-
CA Health and Human Services Agency
-
Department of Health Care Services
-
Department of Health Care Access and Information
-
Reproductive Health Care Access Initiative Resources HERE
-
Department of Managed Health Care
-
CA Privacy Protection Agency Privacy Rights Information HERE
Government Representatives
What I Am Doing
Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus
In the 118th Congress, I am proud to be a Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus (PCC)—a group of over 150 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives committed to advancing reproductive rights, freedom, and justice.
From moving key legislation forward to amplifying the voices of those in CA-12 and around the country demanding action, the Pro-Choice Caucus under my leadership and the leadership of fellow Co-Chair Rep. Diana DeGette(CO-01) is consistent and unrelenting in the fight for your reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy.
You can learn more about PCC here.
Legislation
Whether we are in the majority or minority, my colleagues in Congress and I are constantly working to advance bills that safeguard your reproductive rights and access to care, protect your private health care data, and reaffirm U.S. commitment to global health and human rights worldwide, among other key issues. Read more about those initiatives here:
Abortion Rights
The right to abortion is a fundamental right—one that must be safeguarded in federal law. That is why I am a proud original cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify the protections of Roe v. Wade and enshrine the national right to abortion into law. I was also proud to sign the Pro-Choice Caucus’ discharge petition, which is only seven signatures from forcing a vote on the House Floor on this critical bill, even over GOP leadership objections.
I am a strong supporter of multiple pieces of abortion rights legislation, including the Abortion Justice Act—which articulates a proactive vision for a future with true reproductive freedom for all; the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, to protect the right to travel between states for reproductive health care; the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act, to protect abortion providers from retaliatory legal action; and the removal of the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment, to enshrine gender equity in the U.S. constitution.
Contraception Rights
You, and only you, have the right to decide whether, how, and when you become a parent. Every person deserves that right—and deserves to have their choice of the birth control method that works best for them, free from political interference. As extreme GOP attacks on contraception are already taking place across the nation, I am proud to stand with 9 in 10 Americans and support the bipartisan Right to Contraception Act. This bill would enshrine the right to contraception into federal law and protect all people who use it from attempts to restrict access tobirth control.
Access to Abortion
In addition to protecting the right to abortion, true reproductive freedom means every person has access to the reproductive health care they need, regardless of income, insurance, or zip code. This requires decisive action to abolish harmful and discriminatory restrictions, such as the Hyde Amendment—a policy prohibiting all taxpayer funding for abortion care, blocking abortion care coverage for all those who rely on federal government-sponsored or subsidized health insurance. This predominantly impacts poor women and women of color. While the extreme GOP consistently pushes to codify the racist, classist Hyde Amendment, House Democrats successfully kept it out of the House-passed spending bills multiple years running in previous Congresses. Now, we are working to eliminate it once and for all, which is why I am proud to be the lead sponsor of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act, to help ensure everybody can access the full spectrum of health care, including abortion care, regardless of their income or the source of their insurance.
Expanding access requires leaving no one behind, and I am proud to support the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act to expand access to the full spectrum of reproductive care, including abortion care, and eliminate barriers for individuals with disabilities.
Other critical abortion access bills my colleagues and I are working to advance in the House include the Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act, to support those traveling to access care; the Reproductive Health Care Training Act, to address gaps in abortion training; the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act, to reaffirm the FDA’s authority over medication abortion approval and access; and the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation Act, to crack down on anti-abortion so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” which seek to prevent people from accessing, or even accessing information about, abortion care by spreading harmful disinformation.
Access to Family Planning
The vast majority of Americans has used one or more method of contraception in their lifetime—and nearly 4 million people per year utilize family planning services from the federal Title X program. Every person who needs it should be able to access the family planning support and birth control method that works best for them, which is why my colleagues and I are working to expand access to family planning, including birth control. I am proud to support multiple bills that will help achieve this goal, including the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act, to reauthorize and increase investment in Title X; the Affordability is Access Act, to expand insurance coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives; the Enhancing Questions to Understand Intentions for Pregnancy (EQUIP) Act, to advance the pregnancy intention screening tools that prevent unintended pregnancy and improve the likelihood of healthy pregnancies; and the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act, to limit copayments for contraception for those utilizing VA health services.
Access to family planning starts with access to information, including the age-appropriate, medically accurate information for young people that sets them up to make informed decisions about their reproductive health and live healthy lives. That is why I introduced the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act, to end investments in harmful abstinence-only programs and support comprehensive sex education programs that improve young people’s sexual health and agency and promote gender equity and inclusion.
Data Privacy
Your reproductive health care choices are nobody’s business but yours and your health care provider’s—and that information should never be publicized against your will or weaponized. We need to protect personal reproductive health data, including about abortion, which is why I am proud to support the My Body, My Data Act to create a new national standard for protecting the privacy of personal reproductive and sexual health information.
Global Health & Human Rights
Reproductive rights are human rights, and I am proud of the work Congress is doing to advance those rights here in the U.S. and throughout the international community. The United States is the leading provider of global health assistance in the world, and longstanding, ideologically motivated policies have a shameful history of harming that aid’s effectiveness and our leadership on the world stage. The Global Gag Rule—also known as the Mexico City Policy—has been in effect intermittently for decades, largely under Republican administrations. The version of the rule in place during the previous administration prevents U.S. funds from going to any organizations that not only provide abortion care, but provide information on abortion care, even if U.S. funds are not spent on those services. This forced organizations receiving U.S. global health funding to choose between receiving U.S. resources and providing comprehensive reproductive health care in the best interest of their patients. On top of that, the Helms Amendment continues to bar all U.S. global health assistance from funding abortion care, even in countries where that care is legal. When in place, these policies contribute to a massive burden of unsafe abortions and maternal mortality in the countries they impact, counteracting our global health goals and the health and wellbeing of communities around the world.
While extreme GOP legislators push to codify these and other policies, to curtail human rights and slash global health and family planning funding, I am proud to lead the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act, to repeal the Global Gag rule and to stand with my Democratic colleagues in support of the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, to repeal the Helms amendment; the Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality (GLOBE) Act, to protect global LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights; and the Support UNFPA Funding Act, to reaffirm our nation’s commitment to the UN’s family planning agency and global gender equality.
Still Need Help?
My offices and team are here to help you and answer your questions.
For assistance with federal agencies and for local California resources, contact my office in Oakland.
To leave a policy comment and for questions about federal legislation, contact my Washington, D.C. office.