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Senate committee advances bill to shield medication-abortion providers and patients
Summary
The California State Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee on June 23 voted to send AB 260, authored by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry, to the Senate Appropriations Committee after a 6–1 roll call.
The California State Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee on June 23 voted to send AB 260, authored by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry, to the Senate Appropriations Committee after a 6–1 roll call.
AB 260, introduced by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry, would add statutory protections intended to maintain access to medication abortion in California. The bill, sponsors and witnesses said, would shield health-care providers, pharmacies, clinics and hospitals from licensing or disciplinary consequences when they lawfully provide mifepristone-based medication abortion; allow provider and patient names to be removed from medication-abortion prescription labels; require health plans to continue covering medication abortion; and expand access to telehealth services for medication-abortion care.
Advocates said the bill is a direct response to federal and out-of-state developments they describe as threats to access. Adrianna Benedict, general counsel for telehealth abortion provider Hey Jane, told the committee that providers face escalating threats and said AB 260’s protections, including label privacy, are urgent in light of recent federal litigation. Tiffany Brokaw, deputy attorney general for the California Department of Justice, spoke for Attorney General Rob Bonta as a cosponsor and called the bill a way to “keep California a safe haven for reproductive access.”
Opposition testimony came from Greg Burt of the California Family Council, who urged rejection of the bill and argued that removing identifying information from prescription labels would impair transparency and patient safety. Burt cited studies and asserted risks he said were undercounted; proponents disputed his characterization and pointed to federal and peer-reviewed safety data in support of medication abortion.
After public testimony and remarks by the author and sponsors, the committee moved the bill forward. The roll-call recorded known votes of Aye: Ashby, Archuleta, Grayson, Menjivar, Smallwood Cuevas and Weber Pearson; No: Choi. The motion was announced as passing 6–1 and the item was placed on call for final clerical confirmation.
AB 260 now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee where fiscal and policy analyses will be considered.
