Newsom Signs Law Allowing Anonymous Abortion Prescriptions

Last Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 260 into law, a bill that dangerously protects the distribution of abortion-inducing drugs like Mifepristone while shielding providers from accountability.

AB 260 allows pharmacists to dispense abortion pills without including the prescriber’s name or pharmacy information on the label, making it nearly impossible for women, parents, or law enforcement to know who is responsible when complications occur. The bill also requires insurance plans to cover abortion drugs even if federal approval changes, and empowers California agencies to ignore federal restrictions on these dangerous medications.

The new law took immediate effect and allows California doctors to prescribe abortion anonymously, shielding them from out-of-state lawsuits connected to chemical abortions that harm women and girls.

The risks are not theoretical. A groundbreaking study from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) highlighted by California Family Council Vice President Greg Burt’s testimony against the AB 260 found that 1 in 10 women who take the abortion pill suffer serious complications, including hemorrhaging, infection, or hospitalization. Yet instead of strengthening oversight, California leaders have chosen to make chemical abortions more secretive and less accountable.

This law also creates new barriers for grieving families to seek justice. Just this month, CFC reported on a Texas father suing California providers after his unborn daughter was killed with chemical abortion pills mailed from California. AB 260 was specifically written to shield providers from such lawsuits, protecting abortionists instead of women and their families.

“This reckless law is meant to hide the truth from parents and patients,” said Greg Burt. “By removing prescriber names and pharmacy details from abortion pill labels, the state has eliminated a basic safeguard for women’s health. California is treating the ending of unborn human lives as if it were routine healthcare, when in reality, these pills can be deadly for both mother and child.”

California Family Council has consistently warned that chemical abortions are not only morally wrong but also physically dangerous. From mandating abortion pills on college campuses to now shielding anonymous abortionists, Sacramento politicians have repeatedly chosen abortion freedom over safety. 

AB 260 passed with yes votes from all the Democratic Senators and Assembly members, as well as one yes vote from Republican Assemblyman Greg Wallis (District 47- Palm Springs).

Christians must see AB 260 for what it is: the state prioritizing the abortion industry over women, families, and the lives of the unborn. California may claim this law is progress, but it leaves women more vulnerable and strips away accountability.