Activism

Sen. Nancy Skinner Introduces Bill to Affirm State as ‘Safe Haven’ for Abortion, Gender Affirming Care

If passed, bail agents and bounty hunters would be prohibited from apprehending people traveling from California to escape criminal prosecution or imprisonment in their own state’s criminal laws on abortion and gender-affirming care. Those who do so could be guilty of a misdemeanor, face one-year of prison time and lose their license to operate in California.

Published

2 years ago

December 18, 2022

Oakland Post

California State Senator for District 9 Nancy Skinner speaks about the rising omicron variant cases in California at Native American Health Center in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 22, 2021. (Harika Maddala/ Bay City News)

By Olivia Wynkoop | Bay City News Foundation

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, will introduce a bill on Monday that will solidify California’s status as a “safe haven” for abortion and gender-affirming care.

Set to be introduced on the first day of the new legislative session, Skinner’s bill would ensure out-of-state residents entering California to seek out abortion or gender-affirming procedures will not be prosecuted for such care.

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, California lawmakers have cracked down to strengthen their stance on safe and legal abortion care. California voters also approved the constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to abortion and contraception services.

But on the other hand, 13 states have made it a felony to receive or give abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

The bill would also prevent out-of-state residents from being denied housing and food assistance as a punishment for undergoing their procedures.

“Last year the Legislature, Governor Newsom, and California voters took bold action, guaranteeing the right to an abortion and gender-affirming care. But a growing number of states have done the opposite, putting residents who seek essential health care at risk of being prosecuted,” Skinner said in a statement. “My ‘Safe Haven’ bill will ensure that those who come to California fleeing persecution by other states will be free from the worry that a bounty hunter could snatch them up and send them back.”

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Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

Published

7 days ago

June 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.