California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced an advertising campaign to combat proposals in several Republican-controlled states that seek to prohibit out-of-state travel for abortions and other reproductive care. The campaign will include a TV commercial and an online petition effort, beginning with a focus on a measure under consideration in Tennessee. This bill, known as the “abortion trafficking” bill, would make it a felony offense for an adult to transport a minor to get an abortion without parental consent. Similar restrictions are also being proposed in Idaho, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.
Supporters of the Tennessee measure argue that it is a parental rights bill, aimed at criminalizing not only driving a minor to get an abortion, but also providing information about nearby abortion services or passing along which states have looser abortion laws. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, anti-abortion advocates have been pushing for state bans on abortion and finding ways to prevent pregnant women and girls from crossing state lines to obtain the procedure. Idaho has already enacted a similar law, making it illegal to obtain abortion pills for a minor or help them leave the state for an abortion without parental knowledge and consent.
Newsom, a Democrat who is seen as a potential future presidential candidate, is funding this effort through a national political action committee he launched last spring with $10 million from his state campaign funds. The “Campaign for Democracy” is aimed at boosting Joe Biden and other Democrats, and fighting against the conservative Republican agenda. Democrats and left-leaning interest groups see abortion rights as a key motivator for voters in the upcoming presidential election and the fight for control of Congress. They believe that supporting access to abortion can be a winning issue, especially as the debate expands to include concerns over miscarriage care, access to medication, emergency care, and in vitro fertilization treatments.
The California governor’s RightToTravel.org effort aims to combat the restrictions on out-of-state travel for abortions and reproductive care by launching a multistate ad campaign and online petition effort. The campaign will focus on proposals in Tennessee, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Mississippi that seek to criminalize transporting minors for abortions without parental consent. Newsom’s initiative is funded through a national political action committee that he launched last spring with $10 million from his state campaign funds. The effort, known as the “Campaign for Democracy,” is designed to support Joe Biden and other Democrats and fight against the conservative Republican agenda.
Democrats and left-leaning interest groups see abortion rights as a major issue in the upcoming presidential election and the fight for control of Congress. They believe that supporting access to abortion can be a winning issue, especially as the debate expands to include concerns over various reproductive care services. Newsom and his allies are pushing back against proposals that restrict out-of-state travel for abortions, arguing that such measures infringe on women’s rights and self-determination. They aim to mobilize support for their cause through the ad campaign and online petition effort.
