Reproductive Health Care Organizations Endorse Prop 35

For Immediate Release
October 7, 2024

The measure will provide funding for Medi-Cal, including family planning and preventative health care

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, leading organizations committed to advancing reproductive equity and ensuring access to health care for everyone, announced their collective support of Proposition 35. The initiative provides dedicated funding for family planning and primary care, and will ensure that providers across the state have resources needed to give patients the care they deserve.

“Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California is asking Californians to vote yes on Prop 35, which will support patients and providers. Across the country, reproductive health care is in crisis,” said Jodi Hicks, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and Co-Chair of the YES on 35 campaign. “Voters can help protect access to family planning and more 15 million Californians on Medi-Cal, including the more than 85% of Planned Parenthood patients in California who use Medi-Cal. Prop 35 will ensure that community providers like Planned Parenthood can continue providing high-quality care to patients.”

“In California, we are working to protect and expand abortion rights and ensure further reproductive freedom for everybody, including access to abortion care, birth control, gender-affirming care, pregnancy and postpartum services,” said Caroline Mello Roberson, Director of State Campaigns, Reproductive Freedom for All. “We need Proposition 35 to ensure that the most vulnerable among us have the access to the health care we have dedicated our fight to for more than 50 years.”

“California has made important advancements to expand access to sexual and reproductive health care, but profound inequities remain that are disproportionately experienced among people with lower-incomes, communities of color, and individuals living in rural regions,” said Amy Moy, Co-CEO, Essential Access Health. “Addressing these inequities requires the stable and consistent investments in California’s Medi-Cal program that Prop 35 will establish in order to protect and expand pathways to care for people insured through Medi-Cal, and ensure that everyone, everywhere can access the sexual and reproductive health care they want and need – when and where they need it.”

In addition to protecting and expanding access, Prop 35 contains strong accountability requirements, including mandating that 99% of revenues must go to patient care and requiring annual independent performance audits to ensure funds are spent effectively and as intended. The measure also prevents the state from redirecting these funds out of health care programs, as has historically been done for 30 years.

“As an OBGYN, I worry about patients where labor and delivery departments are reducing services – or closing their doors altogether,” said Kelly McCue, MD, FACOG, Immediate Past Chair, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District IX. “Prop 35 provides the funding to keep providers in the communities where patients need them most, helping to reduce the health care crisis facing Californians.”

“Women’s Health Specialists is proud to be part of the massive, coalition supporting Prop 35 that includes nurses, health care workers, first responders, physicians, dentists, hospitals, community health centers and social justice organizations because it will benefit not just Medi-Cal patients, but all Californians,” said Katrina Cantrell, Executive Director, Women’s Health Specialists. “We hope voters join us in voting YES to help give the rural and low-income women who we advocate for the access to health and mental services they need.”

Proposition 35 would extend an existing levy on health insurance companies set to expire in 2026, and in addition to funding investments in reproductive health, allocates funding for:

Expanding access to preventative health care so patients don’t have to rely on crowded ERs or urgent care clinics as their primary source of care
Reducing wait times in emergency rooms
Primary care and physicians’ offices
Community health centers
OB/GYN and specialty care like cancer and cardiology
Expanded mental health treatment
Hiring more first responders and paramedics to reduce emergency response times
Healthcare workforce training to address the worker shortage
Expanding services for Medi-Cal patients to protect access to hospitals, physicians, women’s health and community clinics, and health centers.

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, Reproductive Freedom for All, Essential Health Access, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District IX and Women’s Health Specialists join nearly 350 organizations in support of Proposition 35.

For more information and to learn about the broad and diverse coalition, visit: https://voteyes35.com/our-coalition/.

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