CITY OF OAKLAND
City Hall
1 Frank Ogawa Plaza
Oakland, CA 94612
Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao 510-238-7004 DISTRICT 4 [email protected]
Date: 2/15/22
To: The Oakland City Council and Members of the Public From: Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao, District 4 Re: Support for Assembly Bill 1666
Members of the Oakland City Council and the Public,
This document serves to add context to my resolution endorsing Assembly Bill 1666 (Bauer-Kahan).
Recently several U.S. States such as Texas and Mississippi have passed laws designed to curtail a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. Specifically, Texas Senate Bill 8, which was signed into law in 2021, allows almost any individual to sue anyone who offers information or referrals to abortion care, drives a patient to a facility, helps pay for an abortion, or even intends to do so.
Previously, the State of California has affirmed a pregnant woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. But the enforcement mechanism of Texas Senate Bill 8, that almost any individual can sue anyone who assists someone having an abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy, may eventually involve California courts, especially if it is upheld by the Supreme Court.
California State Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan has introduced Assembly Bill 1666. AB 1666 would declare any other state’s laws authorizing civil action against reproductive choice to be against the public policy of California and therefore unenforceable by California courts. This would provide vital clarification to protect California abortion providers and those who assist patients from costly lawsuits.
I urge the members of the Council to please join me in reaffirming a woman’s right to choose and protect providers and individuals in California who also assist with that right.
Sincerely,
Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao