California State Policy
Access to sexual + reproductive health care is fundamental to health equity, autonomy, and individual, family, and community wellbeing.
In 2025, Essential Access is cosponsoring and supporting legislation that removes barriers to care, strengthens legal protections, and expands access to essential services.
Essential Access 2025 Co-Sponsored Bills
AB 50 (Bonta) – Pharmacists: Furnishing Contraceptives
Removes unnecessary barriers for Medi-Cal enrollees to obtain over-the-counter (OTC) contraceptives, including Opill, without cost-sharing.
AB 54 (Krell) – Access to Safe Abortion Care Act
Reaffirms that it is lawful to mail, ship, and transport into California and within the boundaries of California, mifepristone and misoprostol, as well as any medicine or instrument that can be used for abortion care that is lawful in the state of California. Shields manufacturers, distributors, health care providers, and individuals from civil or criminal liability, or professional disciplinary action, for providing or accessing mifepristone or misoprostol in accordance with the laws of this state.
AB 260 (Aguiar-Curry) – Protecting Medication Abortion
Makes several changes to ensure continued access to medication abortion, including additional protections for individuals accessing medication abortion, protections for provider licenses and prescriber identity, and protections for health centers, hospitals, etc. Takes steps to ensure that medication abortion remains accessible in California in the event of a change in approval status by the FDA.
AB 1500 (Schiavo) – Maintain State Website for Sexual and Reproductive Health Information
Requires the state website abortion.ca.gov to be maintained to share timely and accurate information about abortion access in California, provide linkages to time-sensitive care, and combat disinformation, and to be updated to serve as a central repository for the health care workforce, researchers, and members of the public to access evidence-based, medically-accurate sexual and reproductive health information, research, data, and resources.
SB 608 (Menjivar) – Youth Equity + Access
Prohibits pharmacies and retailers from requiring customers to present identification for condom or non-prescription contraception purchases. Provides the California Department of Education the authority to monitor compliance of the California Healthy Youth Act. Bars public schools serving grades 7-12 from prohibiting school-based health centers from making internal and external condoms available. Bars public schools from prohibiting condom distribution in the context of educational and public health program initiatives.
Essential Access Health’s Budget Priorities:
- $15 million in funding to backfill the loss of Title X federal family planning funds.
- $40 million to be leveraged over three years to sustain California’s Uncompensated Care grant program, established in 2022 to ensure abortion and contraception services are affordable and accessible, and to stabilize California safety net providers that offer these services at low or no cost to patients.
- $20 million to be used over three years to extend the Los Angeles (LA) County Abortion Safe Haven pilot program, which recognizes the importance of LA County as a hub for access and supports abortion access through clinical care expansions, public awareness and education campaigns, legal support, direct practical support, provider training, research, security, and infrastructure.
- $5 million to update, maintain and expand Abortion.ca.gov dedicated to scientific, evidence-based sexual and reproductive health information, and to ensure public awareness of the site.
2025 California Supported + Opposed Bills
Reproductive Health
- AB 40 by Asm. Bonta (SUPPORT)
Clarifies in current law that "emergency services and care" includes abortion and other reproductive health services, as necessary to relieve or eliminate an emergency medical condition. - AB 45 by Asm. Bauer-Kahan (SUPPORT)
Protects personal privacy and reproductive rights by preventing reproductive health information collected during research from disclosure to out-of-state law enforcement requests and prohibiting the use of geofencing around health care facilities. - AB 67 by Asm. Bauer-Kahan (SUPPORT)
Authorizes the Attorney General to investigate and enforce violations of the Reproductive Privacy Act. - AB 551 by Asms. Krell and Petrie-Norris (SUPPORT)
Establishes the Reproductive Health Emergency Preparedness Program to ensure emergency departments are equipped to manage pregnancy-related emergencies. - AB 836 by Asm. Stefani (SUPPORT)
Requires a state-funded study on midwifery education programs to improve access across rural and urban areas. - AB 968 by Asm. Boerner (SUPPORT)
Authorizes a pharmacist to furnish FDA-approved nonhormonal contraceptives. - SB 32 by Sen. Weber Pierson (SUPPORT)
Seeks to address maternity ward closures in California by requiring the Department of Health Care Services, the Department of Managed Health Care, and the Department of Insurance to develop geographic accessibility standards for perinatal units by July 1, 2027. - SB 528 by Sen. Weber Pierson (SUPPORT)
Allows California to continue funding family planning and abortion services if restricted by federal Medicaid.
Health Access + Equity
- AB 4 by Asm. Arambula (SUPPORT)
Requires Covered California to offer coverage regardless of immigration status by 2027, with outreach beginning in 2028. - AB 55 by Asm. Bonta (SUPPORT)
Removes certification requirements for alternative birth centers to be Medi-Cal perinatal service providers. - AB 224 by Asm. Bonta (SUPPORT)
Would update the state’s Essential Health Benefits plan to additionally include coverage for hearing aids, durable medical equipment, and infertility benefits, as specified. - AB 229 by Asm. Davies (OPPOSE)
Authorizes STD testing of defendants via search warrant and allows victims' representatives access to results. - AB 554 by Asm. Gonzalez (SUPPORT)
Requires health plans to cover FDA- or CDC-approved HIV prevention drugs with no cost-sharing; Medi-Cal plans exempt until 2027. - AB 715 by Asm. Zbur (SUPPORT)
Shields attorneys from discipline for actions lawful in California but penalized under another state’s anti-reproductive health laws. - SB 278 by Sen. Cabaldon (SUPPORT)
Authorizes sharing of viral load suppression data to coordinate HIV care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries. - SB 339 by Sen. Cabaldon (SUPPORT)
Stabilizes STI testing rates in Medi-Cal by setting reimbursement at 100% of Medicare and exempting tests from triannual rate reviews. - SB 504 by Sen. Laird (SUPPORT)
Expands HIV reporting and care coordination by allowing certain provider communications with public health departments.
LGBTQIA+ Community Rights and Gender-Affirming Care
- AB 82 by Asm. Ward (SUPPORT)
Enhances privacy protections for TGI individuals in state databases and expands protections for gender-affirming care providers. - SB 59 by Sen. Wiener (SUPPORT)
Expands confidentiality for gender and name change court petitions; applies retroactively and mandates court implementation.
Youth Rights + Sex Education
- AB 281 by Asm. Gallagher (OPPOSE)
Requires school districts to allow parents to inspect and copy non-copyrighted sex ed materials and disclose instructor training. - AB 329 by Asm. Castillo (OPPOSE)
Requires comprehensive discussion of adoption in sex education, including types, rights, and local resources.