Newsom Signs Laws To Protect Privacy Of Abortion Patients

CALIFORNIA — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws Wednesday to safeguard the privacy of abortion patients and the clinics that provide such services. The new laws aim to elevate the state as one that protects "reproductive freedom," according to Newsom's office.

AB 1356, authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) makes it a crime to record or photograph patients or providers within 100 feet of the entrance to a reproductive health services clinic, according to the state. The law aims to deter protesters attempting to intimidate those coming and going from abortion facilities.

"With [Gavin Newsom's] signing today of AB1356, [California] takes a big step to protect patients and providers who have faced harassment and doxing by extremist abortion protesters," Bauer-Kahan said on Wednesday.

The second law, AB 1184, authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) protects the privacy of those receiving sensitive health care services — including reproductive and gender-affirming care — by requiring that patient information be kept confidential if they are not the primary policyholder for their health insurance. That law will also make it easier for young people on their parent's insurance plans to keep sensitive information private.

While it was already against the law in California to share personal information about abortion clinics and their patients, such protection laws hadn't been updated to include language about smartphones.

"California has been a leader in protecting access to sexual and reproductive rights, but as we’ve seen recently with unprecedented attacks on these rights, we can and must do more," Newsom said in a statement.

The new bills come as the nation's two most populous states continue to diverge on abortion rights.

"We recognize that we have more work to do and we recognize what's at stake," Newsom said. "It takes a whole new meaning after what just occurred in Texas."

The rivalry between Texas and the Golden State intensified after Texas enacted a law that bans abortions six weeks into a pregnancy. Opponents of that law say most women aren't yet aware at that time that they are pregnant.

"These are dark days. I don’t think one can understate the consequential nature of the moment that we are living in," Newsom said on Wednesday. "It becomes of outsized importance that California asserts itself."