Legal hotline on abortion is launched for patients, healthcare providers
The Southern California Legal Alliance for Reproductive Justice has launched a hotline for patients and healthcare providers seeking answers or legal assistance related to abortion and other reproductive care.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta was in Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 2, to promote the hotline, which comes a year after news broke that the U.S. Supreme Court was considering overturning Roe v. Wade.
“One year ago, we first learned that a radical Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was looming — a decision that would come to undermine the rights and endanger the health of millions of people,” Bonta said in a statement.
“In the wake of this decision, as reproductive freedoms have faced unprecedented attacks nationwide, California has remained a beacon of hope and safety. … To those in need of abortion-related legal help: You are not alone. California’s legal community is here to support you,” he added.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, a number of states have passed laws criminalizing abortion, sowing fear and confusion among patients and healthcare providers who, according to Bonta’s office, are threatened with jail time, fines or lengthy legal battles.
In response, law firms offering pro bono services to those seeking legal assistance related to abortion and other reproductive care got together to form the Southern California Legal Alliance for Reproductive Justice (SoCal LARJ).
The alliance is headed by a steering committee that includes UCLA School of Law’s Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy; the Los Angeles city attorney’s office; the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles; and the L.A. County Bar Association.
“As reproductive rights are rolled back in more than a dozen states, SoCal LARJ is dedicated to ensuring that California remains a safe haven for bodily autonomy and choice,” L.A. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said in a Tuesday, May 2, statement. “As the first woman in my role, I am committed to and focused on this cause. The new legal hotline launching today could very well be a lifeline.”
The number for the hotline is 310-206-4466.