County Supervisor Joe Simitian on the U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade

“The Dobbs decision is bad law. It’s bad policy. And I expect our County to push back with all the tools we have at our disposal. 

In anticipation of this decision, I asked our Board of Supervisors to adopt a policy statement last fall articulating our continuing commitment to protecting reproductive freedoms. Our Board agreed unanimously. 

Fortunately, here in California our state constitution calls out the right to privacy as a fundamental right under the California constitution. So, notwithstanding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, we can expect California to remain firmly pro-choice. 

That being said, embedding abortion rights in the California constitution makes sense, and it is my hope and expectation that we will see efforts to do just that; I think we can also expect other legislative measures reaffirming California’s position as a pro-choice state in the very near future. I support such efforts, and expect our Board will too in the days ahead (see attached).

Just a few weeks ago I asked our Board to direct our County Counsel (our legal team) to take whatever steps are necessary to litigate the right to choice, not just here in our area, but in whatever other venues across the country might make sense. Again, our Board agreed unanimously. 

We know that something like half the states in the nation are already teed up to roll back abortion rights through state legislation. We can therefore reasonably anticipate that we will see increased demand for these services in other states, including California. When the time comes, we will be ready here in Santa Clara County to address that need.”