California has among the strongest reproductive and sexual health protections in the nation. Access to abortion services, contraceptives, and pregnancy care is guaranteed in both private insurance and Medi-Cal.
California has among the strongest sexual and reproductive health protections in the nation. Access to abortion services, contraceptives, and pregnancy care is guaranteed in both private insurance and Medi-Cal. The Golden State is also the precursor of many positive initiatives that are replicated in many other states, like the development of a statewide abortion council that advanced a record breaking budget allocation and numerous bills to improve abortion and contraceptive services.
NHeLP has been a leader of the California Future of Abortion Council since its inception. Initiatives like NHeLP’s Medicaid Doula Project in California have been lauded by advocates, members of the media, providers, and researchers inside and outside the state. California is also where we inaugurated NHeLP’s contraceptive equity framework, a law that protects contraceptive access beyond the guarantees of the Affordable Care Act and that currently exists in at least 38 states. We are not resting on our laurels, however, as we continue to push for universal access to the full range of sexual and reproductive health that includes gender-affirming care and assisted reproduction.