Redwood City — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted an advocacy agenda at today’s meeting to support women’s health and reproductive rights following the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
The Women’s Reproductive Freedom and Healthcare Privacy Advocacy Agenda explicitly includes endorsement of Prop 1, a California state constitutional amendment establishing the right to reproductive care and abortion services that will appear on the November 2022 ballot. The agenda also prioritizes support of state and federal legislation that would increase access to reproductive health care services, including abortion and contraception; protection of patient privacy; the safety and security of patients, providers, and clinics; and expansion of the reproductive health care workforce.
“This advocacy agenda will highlight a platform for this Board of Supervisors to give their unwavering support for women’s reproductive rights. Through the agenda, we will work to support both state and federal legislation and actions that will increase access to and strengthen protections for women seeking reproductive healthcare, including abortions,” said Supervisor Warren Slocum who, along Supervisor Dave Pine sits on the Women’s Reproductive Rights and Healthcare Privacy Subcommittee.
The advocacy agenda, which supports state and federal action, will be added to the County’s legislative agenda, updated regularly and reported back to the Board quarterly.
“San Mateo County will continue to lead on abortion access and women’s reproductive freedom,” said Pine. “Beyond our local efforts, we will lend our voice and advocacy to the national discussion by joining with the majority of Americans in demanding that we protect abortion and reproductive rights.”
The advocacy agenda grew from an action plan approved in June that was developed in conjunction with Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (PPMM), which serves residents of Northern California including San Mateo County. PPMM has three clinics in San Mateo County that provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, gender-affirming care, behavioral health, and family medicine services. Together, these clinics serve about 13,000 San Mateo County residents a year.
The action plan is an expansive blueprint that also includes $1 million in financial support for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte to deliver increased abortion care; creating a buffer zone ordinance for the unincorporated areas of the county to protect patients and employees from harassment; and launching an information campaign to let patients know that San Mateo County Health continues to offer reproductive services.
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Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
mdurand@smcgov.org