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SACRAMENTO, CA – Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2531 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), legislation to ensure California veterans can access abortion and contraception care following the Trump Administration’s decision to cut those benefits from their health care coverage.
"Veterans who served our country should not be political footballs. They earned these benefits through their service,” said Assemblymember Irwin. “California has committed to protecting reproductive freedom, and that commitment must include veterans. I thank Governor Newsom for signing AB 2531 to ensure California steps in to help our veterans when the federal government lets them down.”
California voters enshrined the right to reproductive freedom in the state Constitution through Proposition 1 in 2022. This came in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the federal constitutional right to abortion established under Roe v. Wade.
The state has also established programs to help Californians without coverage to access abortion and contraception care. AB 2134 (Weber, Chapter 562, Statutes of 2022) created the Uncompensated Care Grant Program, which provides funding to eligible health care providers to cover the costs of abortion and contraception care for qualifying patients.
Veterans, however, often rely on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for their health care. The Trump Administration’s decision to cut abortion services and abortion counseling coverage through the VA system has created a gap, leaving veterans who do not have other sources of coverage facing significant barriers to accessing reproductive health care.
AB 2531 closes that gap by expanding eligibility for the Uncompensated Care Grant program to veterans whose health care coverage excludes abortion services, including those cut off by the federal VA system. The bill also requires the California Department of Veterans Affairs to feature a direct link to abortion care resources, ensuring veterans know where to find the support available to them.
“Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California is proud to sponsor AB 2531 to provide a pathway for veterans to access affordable abortion care and counseling through the state’s Uncompensated Care Program. The Trump administration’s near total ban on abortion care in the VA system is disgraceful and threatens veterans’ constitutional right to abortion care in California. We thank Assemblymember Irwin and Governor Newsom for their leadership and critical action to ensure that the people who served our country can continue to access the essential healthcare they need and deserve.” – Jodi Hicks, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
By expanding this eligibility, California ensures that the people who have served our country are not left without healthcare due to the restrictive and inequitable policies of the federal government, reinforcing the state’s commitment to reproductive freedom for all.