What is Proposition 1?
Proposition 1’s text reads: “The state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.”
California currently allows abortion for any reason before viability, when a baby can survive outside the womb — generally considered to begin around 24 weeks of pregnancy. After viability, California allows abortion when a woman’s life or health is threatened.
The California Catholic Conference encouraged pro-life voters to say “no” to Prop. 1.
“Proposition 1 is a worst-case scenario for abortion in California,” the group warned. “It is an expensive and misleading ballot measure that allows unlimited late-term abortions — for any reason, at any time, even moments before birth, paid for by tax dollars.”
In response to the passage of Proposition 1, the California Catholic Conference warned that the measure “opened the door to unregulated, late-term abortions, all at taxpayer expense, redirecting state funding away from solutions for the greatest needs of California families.”
“Prop. 1 does not solve any of the underlying personal challenges that women cite as reasons for choosing abortion — intimate partner violence, housing insecurity, inadequate access to health care, insufficient paid leave, child care opportunities, or having no one in their lives able to accompany them through pregnancy and parenting,” the group said.
A campaign for the amendment led by pro-abortion groups, called Yes on Proposition 1, instead argued that Proposition 1 would “ensure that, in California, people continue to have the power to control their own bodies and personal decisions.”
Yes on Proposition 1 did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.
Katie Yoder is a correspondent in CNA's Washington, D.C. bureau. She covers pro-life issues, the U.S. Catholic bishops, public policy, and Congress. She previously worked for Townhall.com, National Review, and the Media Research Center.