Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, LA County continues to ensure that access to information and services related to reproductive health and abortions are available to all — regardless of immigration status or residency. Speakers at the briefing on Sep 17 discussed LA County’s efforts to remain a safe haven where people can access services, and how community based nonprofits are working with LA County to safeguard reproductive rights.
In California, and particularly Los Angeles County, legislators are stepping up to protect reproductive rights. And in November, California voters can add those rights to the state constitution.
It’s important that L.A. County be a safe haven for women seeking abortion services,” County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly Mitchell said. “It’s our duty, particularly to those who have been historically underserved in black and brown communities.
Regardless of ethnicity, country of origin, religion, documentation status or the languages they speak, reproductive health care, including abortion services, are still legal and available in Los Angeles County,” Chanel Smith, Executive director of the county’s Women’s and Girls Initiative program said.
The Safe Haven plan is to be a beacon for reproductive health and rights in this state and in this country,” said Susie Baldwin, Medical director of the county’s Office of Women’s Health. “We have lots of evidence over decades of the harms of denying people abortions when they need them,” she said. California, she noted, has declared itself a “reproductive freedom’ state.”
The Los Angeles County Abortion Safe Haven Project will comprise a network of county agencies; nonprofit, academic, and business partners; reproductive health, rights, and justice advocates; and health care providers committed to ensuring safe access to reproductive care for all.
Rigoberto Reyes, Director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs, acknowledged that abortion can be difficult for some to even talk about and offered his office’s readiness to speak with anyone concerned about whether accessing abortion rights would impact immigration status.
Also Read: Roe vs Wade: Overturning of 50-year-old abortion law creates uproar in United States
