Plain English Breakdown
The bill passed the legislature but was ordered to an inactive file, meaning its status as active law is uncertain based on this text alone.
Access to Safe Abortion Care Act
This legislation reaffirms that mailing, shipping, or transporting drugs used for legal abortions in California is lawful and removes liability for accessing these medicines on or after January 1, 2020.
What This Bill Does
- Reaffirms that it has been and continues to be lawful to mail, ship, take, receive, or transport any drug designed to produce an abortion that is legal in California.
- Focuses on legislative findings regarding medication abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol.
- Removes civil liability, criminal charges, and professional discipline for accessing or administering brand name or generic mifepristone or misoprostol if the use is lawful under state law.
- Applies these protections to actions taken on or after January 1, 2020, with retroactive application as specified.
Who It Names or Affects
- People who access abortion medication that is legal in California.
- Healthcare providers administering mifepristone or misoprostol for lawful abortions.
- Individuals or entities involved in mailing, shipping, taking, receiving, or transporting drugs used for lawful abortions.
Terms To Know
- Mifepristone and Misoprostol
- Drugs focused on by the bill that are used in medication abortion procedures.
- Retroactively
- Applying the law's protections to actions taken before the current date, specifically back to January 1, 2020.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill only protects conduct involving drugs used for abortions that are already lawful under California state laws.
- The official status indicates the file was ordered inactive at a senator's request after passing both chambers, and no effective date is listed in the provided metadata.