October 02, 2025
What You Need to Know: Gov. Newsom has signed a package of bills to expand reproductive health protections, safeguard patient privacy, and shield California physicians from out-of-state legal action for providing reproductive care. CMA has long supported efforts to protect access to reproductive health care and will continue to advocate for strong patient and physician protections.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law a package of bills designed to safeguard access to reproductive health care and reinforce California’s leadership in protecting patient privacy and reproductive freedom.
The new laws expand access to contraception, strengthen confidentiality safeguards, and shield California physicians and attorneys from retaliation by states with restrictive abortion laws. Among the measures signed are:
- AB 260 (Aguiar-Curry): Allows providers to prescribe medication abortion anonymously, requires California-regulated health plans to cover mifepristone regardless of federal approval status, and strengthens protections for providers against out-of-state prosecution.
- AB 45 (Bauer-Kahan): Protects personal privacy in two ways, prevents reproductive health information collected during research from disclosure to out of state law enforcement requests and prohibits the use of geofencing around health care facilities.
- AB 50 (Bonta): Enhances privacy protections by limiting the sharing of patient information with out-of-state law enforcement.
- AB 1525 (Assembly Judiciary Committee): Protects attorneys assisting health care providers and patients in navigating restrictive abortion laws from State Bar discipline.
“The California Medical Association, representing the physicians of California, strongly believes that medical decisions – including those around abortion and contraception – should be made by patients in consultation with their health care providers,” said CMA President Shannon Udovic-Constant, M.D. “California has a long history of protecting and defending access to reproductive health care. These new laws reaffirm our state’s leadership in ensuring patients can access the care they need free from political interference and that California physicians have protections as they provide care to patients who cannot get care in the state in which they live.”
CMA has consistently supported efforts to expand access to reproductive health care and protect patient-physician confidentiality. These new laws add to California’s broader shield law framework, which already provides some protections for physicians from prosecution, civil liability, or investigations by out-of-state officials.
CMA will continue to advocate for policies that protect physicians, preserve patient privacy, and ensure Californians can access comprehensive reproductive health care.