Prominent Black Leaders across California held a virtual press conference on Thursday, Nov. 3, calling on registered voters to say ‘YES’ and vote in favor of Proposition 1. Those leaders in attendance included the State Senator for the 35th district and chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), Steven Bradford, State Senator and Vice-Chair of the CLBC Sydney K. Kamlager, representing district 30, Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D., Onyemma Obiekea, Policy Analyst, Black Women for Wellness, and Margot Taylor, Vice President of Strategy and Advocacy at Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County, convened to urge the passage of Proposition 1 and to show solid and united support for Proposition 1, a legislative constitutional amendment to protect the constitutional right to reproductive freedom.
Proposition 1 amends the California Constitution to say that the state cannot deny or interfere with a person’s reproductive freedom, including the fundamental right to choose an abortion and the right to select contraceptives. A ‘YES’ vote on this measure means the California Constitution would change to include existing rights to reproductive freedoms expressly. Proponents of the measure state that these types of medical decisions would stay where they belong – between the patient and their provider, based on scientific facts, and not at the whelm of political agendas.
A ‘NO’ vote on Proposition 1 means the California Constitution would not change to include existing rights to reproductive freedom expressly. These rights would continue to live under other state laws. Opponents of the measure state that abortions are already legal in California, with limits on late-term abortions. Opponents believe that Proposition 1 destroys the balance and would place the most extreme abortion law possible into the state’s constitution.
Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D., a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, and co-author of the legislation, “supports a woman’s right to choose” and providing “reliable access to abortion and contraception services for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay or where they live.” State Senators Kamlager and Bradford expressed their unwavering support for all women having the right to control their bodies without government interference. Kamlager said, “I’m voting YES on Proposition 1 to make sure that our fundament right to access abortion care is protected in California now and for generations to come”.
In California, existing law provides protections for reproductive rights; however, the recent Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision ensured that abortion rights are no longer federally protected, and as a result of this decision, abortion rights are under attack in numerous states.
“As a man, I was proud to cast a vote in support of the measure because I believe women must have the right to decide their bodies as they see fit. Voting YES on Proposition 1 will protect that right in California,” Bradford said.
Onyemma Obiekea reminded those on the call that the Supreme Court’s decision “rolled back decades of progress in protecting reproductive rights. We are taking every opportunity to fight back.” Obiekea affirmed Black Women’s Wellness’s commitment to the “health and wellbeing of Black women and girls to determine their reproductive destinies for generations to come.”
Margot Taylor, a leader at Planned Parenthood, an organization that works tirelessly on behalf of all women, echoed the belief of the measure’s proponents that medical decisions are between a woman and her doctor. Taylor said YES on Prop 1 protects Angelenos and all women across California and guarantees a “person’s fundamental right to control their own body.”
For more information on Prop 1, visit https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/1/.htm
