Here And There, Some Abortion Protections Begin To Crystallize

NPR: Californians Can Vote To Make Abortion A Part Of The State's Constitution
Residents of California will be able to vote to add abortion rights to their state's constitution on their midterm election ballots in November. The state Assembly voted Monday to amend Article 1 of the California Constitution to say, "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." Midterm elections are Nov. 8. The bill passed the state Senate last Monday, and does not need the governor's approval. (Archie, 6/28)

AP: New Mexico Governor Orders Safeguards For Abortion Access 
New Mexico’s Democratic governor took steps Monday to ensure safe harbor to people seeking abortions or providing abortions at health care facilities within the state. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order that prohibits cooperation with other states that might interfere with abortion access in New Mexico, declining to carry out any future arrest warrants from other states related to anti-abortion provisions. The order also prohibits most New Mexico state employees from assisting other states in investigating or seeking sanctions against local abortion providers. (Lee, 6/28)

The Baltimore Sun: Money Pours Into Maryland Groups And Others Assisting With Abortions Since Roe Ruling 
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade precedent has prompted donations large and small to aid those in Maryland and from out of state seeking an abortion. Abortion remains legal in Maryland, and providers are gearing up to accept a larger influx of people from other states seeking care here. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott pledged $300,000 to help that cause immediately after the ruling was issued last week, with the money going to create an account at the Baltimore Civic Fund to provide grants to organizations that provide abortion and family planning services. (Cohn, 6/28)

Bloomberg: Roe V. Wade: Massachusetts Sees Abortion Access Attracting More Employers
Strong support in Massachusetts for abortion rights could prove attractive to employers as they grapple with how the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade affects their employees, Governor Charlie Baker said Monday. “I do believe that -- having listened to and heard from a lot of companies over the course of the past several days about what this decision means with respect to their work forces and their benefit plans -- that there may in fact be a big opportunity here for Massachusetts,” Baker told reporters. (Goldberg, 6/27)

In news from Ohio —

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley Pledges To Avoid Criminalizing Abortion
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley has joined dozens of prosecutors from across the country in pledging to avoid charging those who seek or provide abortions. “Prosecuting individuals who seek or provide abortion care makes a mockery of justice; prosecutors should not be part of that,” says a letter signed by about 90 county and district attorneys. The letter comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, enabling the states to decide the issue. Within minutes of the ruling Friday, the office of Ohio Attorney General asked U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett to dissolve a three-year-old injunction on the state’s “heartbeat bill.” (6/27)

Columbus Dispatch: Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein Pledges To Not Prosecute Abortions
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced Monday that he will join a group of prosecutors from across the country in pledging not to prosecute abortion cases after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Ohio all but banned the procedure. Late Friday, an Ohio law set to take effect if Roe v. Wade was overturned that makes providing an abortion in the state after cardiac activity can be detected, or about six weeks into pregnancy, a fifth-degree felony punishable by up to one year in prison. (Laird, 6/27)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Ohio GOP Attorney General’s Son, Daughter-In-Law Publicly Split With Dave Yost On Abortion Rights
While Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, has led the fight in limiting abortion rights in the state, his son and daughter-in-law feel differently -- posting publicly on Facebook that they believe abortion should remain a woman’s choice. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade -- which had generally offered women nationwide the right to an abortion. Within an hour of the high court’s decision, Yost’s office filed paperwork in federal court, seeking to limit abortion rights to around six weeks. Since 2019, U.S. District Court Judge Michael R. Barrett had blocked the state’s “heartbeat” law from going into effect. By Friday evening, however, Barrett was persuaded by Yost’s arguments and dissolved the injunction, meaning that abortion is now illegal when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is before many woman know they are pregnant. Now women with abortion appointments in Ohio are having to seek care in other states. (Hancock, 6/27)

More companies say they'll help employees who need abortions —

The New York Times: Companies Scramble To Work Out Policies Related To Employee Abortions 
There is no clear blueprint for corporate engagement on abortion. After numerous companies came forward to announce that they would cover travel expenses for their employees to get abortions, executives have had to move swiftly to both sort out the mechanics of those policies and explain them to a work force concerned about confidentiality and safety. Few companies have commented directly on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which ended nearly 50 years of federal abortion rights. Far more have responded by expanding their health care policies to cover travel and other expenses for employees who can’t get abortions close to home, now that the procedure is banned in at least eight states with other bans set to soon take effect. (Goldberg, 6/27)

Des Moines Register: Wells Fargo, Bridgestone Cover Abortion Travel; Hy-Vee Among Undecided
Some companies with large Iowa operations will cover travel expenses for employees seeking abortions in the wake of Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gave states the ability to ban the procedure. The human resources department of Wells Fargo & Co. sent workers an email Monday, informing them that the banking giant's health care plan will reimburse them for "reasonable and necessary" transportation and lodging expenses tied to abortions beginning July 1. The announcement follows similar policy changes at other national employers, including companies with prominent central Iowa locations like Amazon.com and Bridgestone Americas. (Jett, 6/27)

CBS News: Google Tells U.S. Workers They Can Move To States Where Abortion Is Legal: Report 
Technology giant Google says workers who live in parts of the country where abortion is no longer legal after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade may relocate to states where their rights are protected, no questions asked, according to reports. Google's health insurance will also cover the cost of employees' out-of-state abortion procedures for workers who travel across state lines to seek care. (Cerullo, 6/27)

Also —

The Washington Post: Tucker Carlson Just Inadvertently Helped Raise $14,000 For Abortion Rights
Hours after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, Tucker Carlson took to the airwaves to rail against companies that would pay for employees’ abortion-travel costs. “They’re against families,” the Fox News host said of the firms on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” But as Carlson was offering his commentary, an image from his show was actually being put to a starkly different use: raising money for groups that facilitate abortion. (Zeitchik, 6/27)