News & Perspectives

The San Clemente City Council was set to consider a resolution later this month that declares the city a “sanctuary for life where the dignity of every human being will be defended and promoted from life inside the womb through all stages of development in life up and until a natural death.” But instead...

Linda Verraster cannot imagine why elected officials in San Clemente would spend time debating abortion. The coastal Orange County city has no hospitals or clinics that perform abortions, and it has no power to stop residents from seeking the procedure elsewhere. There are other issues that need attention, Verraster says, like homelessness and affordable housing. Still, a debate about abortion has been...

San Clemente's city council is set to consider a resolution that would declare the city an abortion-free zone and a sanctuary for life. The council is expected to review the non-binding resolution in mid-August. The resolution was proposed by Councilmember Steve Knoblock and seconded by Mayor Gene James. It is sparking opposition from activists and some council members, as seen during a July council meeting. "It's ludicrous," Councilmember Kathy Ward declared...

The city of San Clemente is considering a resolution that would ban abortions, declaring itself a "sanctuary for life" as it becomes an abortion-free zone. Written and proposed by Councilman Steven Knoblock, the resolution "considers life to begin at conception." During a July 19 city council meeting, Knoblock spoke before other councilmembers, saying "my request is that the city council consider resolutions basically supporting the concept of life."

The San Clemente City Council is set to consider a resolution in a couple of weeks that would declare the city a “sanctuary for life,” making it an abortion-free zone. The resolution, which was written and proposed by Councilman Steven Knoblock, states that the City Council “considers life to begin at conception” and stands against the establishment of Planned Parenthood...

The day that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Gov. Gavin Newsom affirmed that California would be a sanctuary for those seeking abortion care and signed legislation protecting doctors and patients from liability imposed by states banning the procedure. About 10,000 more out-of-state residents will...

Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade last month, California has embraced its role as a primary abortion refuge. With the right to abortion guaranteed in California’s Constitution, state leaders and abortion rights advocates have been preparing for an influx of patients from states where abortion is now banned or severely restricted. “California has led the way in showing what a state can do proactively to protect abortion rights and access,” said Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “In a post-Roe world, this kind of forward-thinking action is more important than ever.”

On June 30, a 26-year-old mother of two and her friend left the Phoenix area at 10 p.m. and drove hundreds of miles to the Planned Parenthood clinic in San Bernardino. They arrived about 4 a.m. and slept in their cars until the clinic opened at 6:30. The mother had an abortion and left the clinic around 10 a.m. to drive back to Arizona, where abortion faces new restrictions, if not an outright ban. Such a journey, described by Dr. Janet Jacobson, is much more common since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion...

In the small, dusty town of Needles, the I-40 bridge links the haves and the have-nots. For women on the Arizona side, abortion care has vanished. On the California side, it is as accessible and low-risk as a tonsillectomy. Last Friday’s Supreme Court ruling that ended 50 years of federal abortion protections has set off...