Supervisors: San Diego County will champion reproductive freedom – The San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 Tuesday to declare the county a champion of reproductive freedom, in response to a Texas law banning nearly all abortions.

Im outraged that here we are in 2021 and politicians are still making decisions on womens health care, said Supervisor Nora Vargas, who proposed the declaration. Access to health care is and always has been my top priority, and safe, legal abortion is health care.

Supervisors Vargas, Terra Lawson-Remer and Nathan Fletcher voted in favor of the declaration. Supervisor Jim Desmond voted against it, and Supervisor Joel Anderson was not present for the meeting.

The Texas law, which took effect Sept. 1, bans physicians from inducing an abortion once fetal cardiac activity is detected. Thats about six weeks from the womans last menstrual period, although it may be two weeks or less from the time she learns she is pregnant.

The law empowers private citizens in Texas to sue abortion providers and anyone else who helps a woman obtain the procedure.

Vargas said the San Diego County declaration is necessary to oppose that law and other legislation throughout the county that would limit abortion access.

The recent attacks on reproductive freedoms in Texas are alarming but sadly not new, Vargas said. We are seeing over 600 restrictive laws introduced across the nation by state legislatures, courts and governors, eager to set us back decades by a stroke of a pen by restricting access to safe and legal abortion care.

More than 80 speakers addressed the board item, including many who opposed the board measure on religious grounds.

The idea that abortion is a right was made up by human beings, said Jasmine Wilson, one of the public speakers. The truth is that abortion is a grievous sin and is never Gods will. Quite simply, God is pro-life. I urge you to do everything you can to create policy consistent with Gods will.

Cindy Paris, who has protested vaccine and mask mandates at previous board meetings, said the county should instead focus on support for pregnant women and those with young children.

You talk about equity; this is not about equity, she said. Why dont you help the women who are pregnant have their babies?

Some speakers applauded the countys declaration, saying women should be free to make their own decisions about whether to carry a pregnancy to term.

Id like to thank Vice Chair Vargas for fighting for our right to decide when we start a family on our own terms, one speaker said.

The declaration does not call for any actions regarding abortion or other reproductive health services, and it doesnt allocate any county funding.

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Supervisors: San Diego County will champion reproductive freedom - The San Diego Union-Tribune