Out-of-state visits to local Planned Parenthood have nearly tripled since the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar joined Jon Dunn, President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood of San Bernardino and Orange Counties, to mark one year since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion. In the year since, abortion has been banned in 14 states and heavily restricted in several others, increasing demand for reproductive care in states like California. The Planned Parenthood San Bernardino Health Center has cared for roughly 450 out-of-state patients over the last year—up from 180 out-of-state patients the previous year. 

“One year ago, the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision left millions of women without access to the reproductive health care they relied on for 50 years,” said Rep. Aguilar. “As Republican states double down on their attacks and threaten a nationwide abortion ban, California continues to be an oasis of reproductive freedom. I want to thank the Planned Parenthood of San Bernardino County for their tireless work to care for women from across the country. Together, we’ll continue to do everything we can in Congress and here at home to defend a woman’s fundamental right to control her own body and life.”

“It’s clear that overturning Roe v. Wade wasn’t enough for the anti-abortion extremists as they work toward a federal abortion ban,” said Dunn. “It’s imperative that we fight to gain back the freedom to make our own decisions about our bodies.”

Rep. Aguilar is an original co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) of 2023, which seeks to reestablish the right to access abortion care throughout the United States. Last week, he joined House Democrats in filing a discharge petition in an attempt to force the Republican-led House to hold a vote on the WHPA. 

Last Congress, Rep. Aguilar voted to pass the Right to Contraception Act, the Ensuring Women’s Right to Freedom Act and the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022. No California House Republicans voted for the legislation. 

Photos and video of the event can be viewed here.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.