TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager and Long Beach Health and Human Services in coordination with Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health care advocates meet and develop written recommendations on how Long Beach can partner with Los Angeles County to respond should Roe v. Wade be overturned and report back within 45 days.
DISCUSSION
These recommendations should include an analysis of a) any potential budget impact of State proposals to relax residency requirements to ensure everyone has access to reproductive health care, including abortion services and related social services; b) opportunities to enhance medical training, especially training on how to respond to emergent medical complications related to septic nonhospital abortions; c) opportunities to expand the reproductive healthcare workforce, including efforts to ensure providers are working at the top of their license; d) opportunities to create uniform referral systems to optimize access to reproductive health services; and e) opportunities to reduce and address health disparities by expanding reproductive and sexual health services, supplies and education, for marginalized communities and those who might be harder to reach. These communities would include women who are unhoused, incarcerated and those with substance use disorders or serious mental health concerns.
January 20, 2022 marked the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (Roe), the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined the U.S. Constitution provides a right to privacy, protecting a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. The current U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide two new cases, Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic and Whole Woman’s Health vs. Jackson, which both seek to overturn Roe. If Roe is overturned, states would have the authority to either ban abortions or impose restrictions that would restrict abortion access. Governor Gavin Newsom and California legislators have declared their intent that California be open to out-of-state women seeking access to abortion. California is considering various proposals including subsidies for out-of-state women.
Preserving women’s access to quality reproductive health care services is critical. On January 5, 2022, at the Los Angeles County (County) Health and Mental Health Services Cluster meeting, a panel including representatives from County Counsel, the Department of Health Services, the Department of Public Health and reproductive health care advocates discussed the potential impact of the pending Supreme Court decisions and the State’s response. The panel discussed how the influx of women from other states to California could impact the County by leading to increased demand for contraceptives and abortion services at public and private hospitals and clinics; delayed access to care and increased medical complications and morbidity. The influx could also affect the County budget for health and social services and potentially alter County programs that aim to eliminate health care disparities among women of color and poor women, including programs that address sexually transmitted diseases. These are important considerations that will have a lasting impact on women residing in our County, especially low-income women who have no options and must depend on the County for access to reproductive health care.
FISCAL IMPACT
Due to the pending U.S. Supreme Court cases, there is an urgency to this item and a fiscal impact analysis has yet to be conducted. Fiscal impact information will be brought back to the City Council along with the initial report.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
MAYOR ROBERT GARCIA
CINDY ALLEN
COUNCILWOMAN, SECOND DISTRICT
SUZIE PRICE
COUNCILWOMAN, THIRD DISTRICT
SUELY SARO
COUNCILWOMAN, SIXTH DISTRICT