After fall of Roe, California expands abortion protections

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Legislature wrapped up its work on Wednesday after approving more than a dozen bills to make it easier for people to get an abortion, a show of force that was the result of more than a year of careful planning meant to stake the state's claim as a sanctuary for women after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Lawmakers passed 15 bills plus approved $200 million in new spending to bolster the state’s already robust abortion protections. The flurry of activity isn't over, as voters will decide in November whether to make abortion a constitutional right in the nation’s most populous state.

The bills easily made it through the Democratic-dominated Legislature and some have already become law. Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign most of the rest before the end of the month.

Over the next few years, the state will funnel millions of dollars to clinics to cover the cost of abortions for women who can’t afford them — including women who are living in the country without legal permission. It has pledged to spend up to $20 million to bring women to California from other states for abortions, covering expenses like travel, lodging and child care.

California will block enforcement within the state of other states’ abortion bans, including a Texas law that lets people sue anyone who performs or aids an abortion on a woman from that state. It will also stop police departments and corporations from complying with out-of-state subpoenas or other requests for information about abortions legally obtained in California.

Women with private insurance won’t pay co-pays for abortions, while religious employers who don’t cover the cost of abortions through insurance would be forced to provide their workers a list of publicly available...