While several states in the county are already in the process of banning abortion, in California the right to an abortion remains protected. President Joe Biden called on Congress to codify abortion rights, adding that no executive action can do that, but with a divided congress it's unlikely that abortion rights would pass both the House and the Senate.
President Biden also called on voters who are angered by the SCOTUS ruling to head to the polls in November and elect lawmakers who support abortion rights.
"I think it's incredibly important that we make sure we have a pro-choice majority in the House and the Senate so we can pass the laws that we need to pass," said U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs from the 53rd District.
Members of San Diego's congressional delegation say they believe abortion will be a big-ticket item drawing voters to the polls for the midterm elections.
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"I think that everybody is going to be outraged, especially women, that they just lost a whole bunch of rights. I do think they're going to come out and vote and say, 'You know that’s not right,'" said U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas from the 51st District.
In California, abortion protections are already in place, which means the ruling doesn't change anything about access to abortion in the state.
"If there is any silver lining for people who live in California it's that right is going to be protected in the state of California regardless of what happens across the rest of the country," said State Rep. Brian Maienschein from the 77th District.
Last year, Governor Newsom convened a Future on Abortion Council that made several policy recommendations to the state legislature in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned. Now, the legislature is in the process of passing more than a dozen bills aimed at expanding reproductive rights in California.
Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade
"One is already signed by the Governor and that eliminates out-of-pocket costs for services. We’re currently working on prohibiting the enforcement of out-of-state restriction laws from being in effect in California and relate to that making sure that individuals are protected from prosecution for any pregnancy-related outcomes," said State Rep. Chris Ward from the 78th District.
Another bill would allow nurse practitioners to provide certain abortions to increase the number of medical providers who are qualified to perform the services.
"The bill that I authored would provide financial assistance to providers who are performing abortions for people who don’t have insurance or are underinsured or they're coming in from out of state and their insurance doesn't cover it, so we can make sure that our providers here are compensated for their work," said State Rep. Akilah Weber from the 79th District.
State lawmakers are also looking to amend the state constitution.
"We’re putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that makes sure that it is outlined in the California state constitution that a woman's right to choose is protected in the state of California," said Maienschein.
In a statement to NBC 7, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa said: "A clear majority of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States appropriately upheld its core purpose in our structure of self-governance: To discharge their duties faithfully and impartially under the Constitution. This is always the right way and the best way for the High Court to function."
