SACRAMENTO; On Sept. 27, 2026, Governor signed nine bills aimed at expanding reproductive healthcare and strengthening protections for reproductive freedom, the governor’s office said.
The administration highlighted several concrete changes: medication abortion will be made available on community college campuses; certified nurse‑midwives, nurse practitioners and physician assistants may perform abortions that fall within their license and training; certified nurse‑midwives will be allowed to stabilize patients with emergency medical conditions or in active labor without physician supervision; Medi‑Cal will no longer require preauthorization for lactation services; firefighters will receive 26 weeks of paid maternity leave; and the package adds new resources and guidance on postpartum pelvic‑floor concerns and steps to improve veterans’ access to reproductive care, the release said.
Governor Gavin Newsom said, "Freedom means being able to make deeply personal decisions without elected officials inserting themselves in pursuit of a political agenda."
The legislation signed today, listed by bill number and author in the release, is AB 1696 (); AB 1854 (); AB 1910 (); AB 1973 (); AB 2160 (); AB 2531 (); AB 2540 (Catherine Stefani); SB 526 (); and SB 1271 (). The release points readers to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov for the full bill texts.
The governor’s office framed the package as an extension of prior state actions to protect reproductive health. It cited recent budget items and laws the office said expanded funding and tools for reproductive and gender‑affirming care, including a one‑time $50 million General Fund allocation in the 2026 budget, a $90 million emergency appropriation under SB 106 and earlier steps to secure medication supplies and cross‑state provider arrangements.
What changes for Californians: students could get medication abortion through community college student health centers where those services are implemented; Medi‑Cal enrollees should be able to obtain lactation care without preauthorization; and certain nonphysician clinicians will be able to provide more abortion‑related services within their scope of practice, the release said.
State
Gavin Newsom
Governor · Democrat
Named 3 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Catherine Stefani
State Assembly Member · Democrat
Named 2 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Maggy Krell
State Assembly Member · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Tasha Boerner
State Assembly Member · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry
State Assembly Member · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Celeste Rodriguez
State Assembly Member · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Jacqui Irwin
State Assembly Member · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Sasha Renée Pérez
State Senator · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Eloise Gómez Reyes
State Senator · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
Sources & methodology
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