John,

The decision by the Supreme Court to take away the constitutional right to abortion is devastating to women and our country. San Francisco has proudly served for generations as a place that respects fundamental civil rights, including a woman’s right to choose. The ramifications from this Supreme Court ruling on public health, poverty, and so many downstream consequences have yet to be seen, but right now, women are scared about what this means for them, for their daughters, for all of us. 

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, I have announced initial steps being taken to prepare for impacts locally and to ensure that San Francisco continues to stand as a place that proudly protects and supports a woman’s right to choose.

With input from leading abortion rights advocacy organizations, the San Francisco Department of the Status of Women (DOSW) has identified next steps San Francisco will take to both prepare for any influx of people traveling from out-of-state as well as minimize the harm from this ruling.

• DOSW has begun initiating a Bay Area coordinating table of providers, advocacy organizations and local government agencies to better understand the services available throughout the region and what may be needed, as well as to prepare for any state-level interventions that may come.
• DOSW has begun measuring local capacity of abortion care services to understand what services are available to women in San Francisco, and what impacts may be as a result of this ruling.
• DOSW is distributing $250,000 in emergency grants for local organizations for immediate capacity building and wraparound service support so that women can continue to receive the care and support they need as service demand potentially increases.

San Francisco cannot correct national policy, but we can ensure that those in this city are safe from anyone who wants to criminalize medical care and that we are working with the entire Bay Area to prepare for any impacts of this decision.

Sincerely,

Mayor London Breed