NEWS FLASH

California Gov. Approves Legislation To Increase Access For Contraception | Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) approved legislation over the weekend to allow registered nurses to dispense birth control, a move that will expand women’s access to prescription contraceptives in his state. Due to a shortage of physicians in California, women sometimes struggle to schedule timely doctor’s appointments when they need to obtain a birth control prescription, and advocates for Assembly Bill 2348 hope that allowing nurses to dispense the pill, patch, and ring will help address these delays. AB-2348 was authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) and passed the state legislature in August. Brown signed the new bill into law at Planned Parenthood’s Los Angeles headquarters on Saturday, explaining, “At a time when some seek to turn back the clock and restrict women’s health choices, California is expanding access to birth control and reaffirming every woman’s basic Constitutional rights.”