California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced a statewide survey to evaluate hospital compliance with reproductive healthcare laws, focusing on emergency abortion care. The California Department of Justice’s Healthcare Rights and Access Section will conduct the survey to identify gaps in emergency care across the state. This initiative aims to ensure hospitals meet their obligations under California’s Emergency Services Law (ESL) and provide necessary patient care without delay.
“Access to emergency abortion care is not optional. It’s the law,” stated Attorney General Bonta. “No patient should need to wonder whether they will receive the care they need in a medical emergency.”
The ESL mandates that general acute care hospitals with emergency departments treat all patients experiencing medical emergencies, regardless of insurance or other protected characteristics. Despite these protections, reports have emerged of hospitals refusing necessary abortion care, potentially endangering patients.
A lawsuit filed by Attorney General Bonta against Providence St. Joseph Hospital highlights such issues, where a patient’s life was endangered due to delayed treatment for an obstetric emergency.
The survey will also ensure hospitals offer Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFE) and related healthcare services free of charge to victims of sexual assault.
Approximately 333 hospitals in California will be surveyed to assess how they administer reproductive healthcare and respond when abortion is required as an emergency treatment. The results will guide oversight and enforcement efforts.
