California governor signs law that makes abortions cheaper

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Tuesday to make abortions cheaper for people on private insurance plans, the first of more than a dozen bills the state's Democratic leaders plan to pass this year to prepare for a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade.

The new conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that banned states from outlawing abortion.

If they do, at least 26 states are likely to either ban abortion outright or severely limit access, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights.

That would force many women to travel to other states to get abortions, prompting Democratic-led states like California to propose and pass new laws to prepare for them.

Last week, Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a law aimed at banning legal action against people who aid or receive an abortion, a measure responding to the Texas law that lets people sue abortion providers or those who assist them.

Oregon lawmakers included $15 million in their state budget to help pay for people to travel to the state to get abortions.

California has a similar bill, one of 14 proposals aimed at expanding and protecting access to abortion in the nation's most populous state. The bills were inspired by a report from the Future of Abortion Council, a group Newsom convened last year to advise him about how to respond if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

“We're looking at 26 states that will introduce some sort of ban and restriction on abortion, so you have the other half of the country that will need to prepare for how we take care of those patients,” said Jodi Hicks, CEO and President of...