California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new measure into law Thursday that temporarily permits Arizona doctors to perform abortions in California. The move comes after a recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling that upheld a near-total abortion ban from 1864.
The new measure, effective immediately, allows patients to continue receiving abortion services from their own Arizona doctors, but in California, until Nov. 30, according to NBC News.
"Arizona Republicans tried to turn back the clock to 1864 to impose a near-total abortion ban across their state. We refuse to stand by and acquiesce to their oppressive and dangerous attacks on women," Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement Thursday.
The new law allows licensed Arizona doctors to obtain a temporary California medical license within five days of submitting the required documentation to the medical boards.
Nonprofit organizations like Essential Access and Red, Wine, and Blue will cover the associated fees for the procedures.
California Assemblyman James Gallagher, a Republican, voted against the bill, arguing it "is less about helping women than it is about Newsom's shadow campaign for president."
Newsom signed the bill in partnership with the California Legislative Women's Caucus, which drafted the legislation.
Its chair, state Sen. Nancy Skinner, said the new law can provide the women of Arizona with an abortion safe haven when the 1864 statute takes effect later this year.
"Our Arizona sisters can come to California to get the health care they need from their own doctors, who they know and rely on," she said in a statement, adding, "California has made it crystal clear for all those who need or deliver essential reproductive care: We've got your back."
The measure comes about a month after Newsom announced the bill in response to Arizona's near-total abortion ban.
The fate of Arizona's 1864 ban, which doesn't have exceptions for rape or incest, remains uncertain as the Supreme Court has granted Attorney General Kris Mayes' request to delay its enforcement until Sept. 26.
This means that Arizona's 15-week abortion ban will remain in effect until Sept. 26, as per the Arizona attorney general's office.
If the Arizona Legislature adjourns by June 28, the ban might never be enforced, as a repeal passed earlier this month will take effect 90 days after the session ends.
