We Hand-Delivered 19,000 Veto Petitions To California’s Governor

Earlier this week, Students for Life America partnered with Californians for Life and Pro-Life San Francisco at the California State Capitol to deliver 19,000 handwritten petitions opposing SB 24 to the office of Governor Gavin Newsom. SB 24 would require all of California’s public university health centers to become on-campus abortion vendors distributing the RU-486 abortion pill regimen, which terminates pregnancies up to ten weeks and is dangerous to the mother.

Wynette Sills, Director of Californians for Life, led a coalition of the state’s pro-life leaders into a meeting with the staff of Governor Newsom. The leaders voiced their main concerns concerning the bill, including medical risk, increased liability for the universities, lack of conscience protections in the bill, and unresolved financial questions.

There are 24 confirmed cases of women dying after taking the abortion pill. There are thousands of confirmed hospitalizations and other adverse effects as a result of the drug. And it’s been admitted that for up to 15% of mothers (15-75 students per month), her RU-486 suffering would fail to complete the abortion, requiring a surgical follow-up. RU-486 is a powerful two pill concoction that young women are sent home with and wished “good luck.” Unable to diagnose themselves, women may hemorrhage or experience other life-threatening effects without knowing their danger. These top-priority risks, along with the lack of adequate medical infrastructure on campuses, has raised the specter of increased university liability. Schools are not equipped to save women from botched abortions. 

Citing these along with unresolved financial issues, both the UC and CSU have yet to offer support for SB 24. Furthermore, no language affirming the constitutionally protected conscience rights of health care professionals or students is included in the language of the bill. California has a history of long, extensive, and expensive court battles regarding conscience rights eventually being affirmed during the appeal process. It would be irresponsible and wasteful of California’s leadership to drag California through this lengthy process instead of respecting the conscience rights of California citizens by vetoing this bill.

Students for Life was very instrumental in this petition effort. A large portion of the 8,000 petitions that came from the Central Valley were gathered by Bernadette Tasy and her SFLA group, Pro-Life Future Fresno. Also, students from San Jose State, Sacramento State, and the City College of San Francisco were present as the petitions were wheeled to the Governor’s office. These efforts are joined with Students for Life student testimony at committee hearings in Los Angeles and Sacramento two weeks ago. Students for Life’s coalition is uniting pro-lifers from North, Central, and Southern California, urban and rural areas alike, in standing in solidarity with our over 90 student groups in the state in opposition to SB 24. Similar petitions in the past have worked to scrap bad legislation like this; we hope for the same again.

However, should SB 24 be irresponsibly signed into law, SFLA is already taking precautionary steps to prepare for legal opposition. We are seeking any UC or CSU health center medical professionals or currently enrolled students to serve as plaintiffs in a conscience rights lawsuit against SB 24. We are also asking for everyone’s continued support in calling Governor Newsom’s office at 916-445-2841 and asking him to veto this bill. Your thousands of calls will NOT go unnoticed. This fight is not over yet! Please join us in telling Governor Newsom you want to be proud of California universities as Public Ivies, not public abortion facilities.