News & Perspectives

The Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade is shifting the political calculus around the country, including in two Orange County congressional districts with significant Asian American populations. An energized Democratic Party is hoping the seismic decision will draw to the polls large numbers of Asian Americans, who as a group register strong support for abortion rights...

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...

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...

The number of women coming across state lines to Planned Parenthood's nine health centers in Orange and San Bernardino Counties has skyrocketed following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Michele Gile reports...

Nichole Ramirez, senior vice president of communications and donor relations at Planned Parenthood of Orange & San Bernardino Counties speaks to the organization's efforts to ensure access to abortion care for anyone who needs it.

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...