AB 54 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Access to Safe Abortion Care Act.

Summary

Existing law sets forth provisions, under the California Constitution, regarding the fundamental right to choose to have an abortion. Existing law, the Reproductive Privacy Act, prohibits the state from denying or interfering with a pregnant person's right to choose or obtain an abortion prior to viability of the fetus, or when the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant person. This bill, the Access to Safe Abortion Care Act, would make legislative findings about medication abortion, with a focus on use of the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. Under the bill, the Legislature would reaffirm that it has been, and would continue to be, lawful to cause the delivery of, or mail, ship, take, receive, or otherwise transport, any drug, medicine, or instrument that can be designed or adapted to produce an abortion that is lawful in the State of California. The bill would set forth provisions regarding the lack of civil or criminal liability, or professional disciplinary action, for accessing or administering brand name or generic mifepristone or any drug used for medication abortion that is lawful under the laws of the state, on or after January 1, 2020, with this provision applied retroactively, as specified. The bill would make its provisions severable.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2024

Committee Review

Aug 2025

Assembly Passage

May 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Dec 2, 2024 Last action Aug 30, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

12/02/24 - Introduced → 03/17/25 - Amended Assembly · 6 edits · Mar 17, 2025

MODERATE

AB 54 was substantially expanded from a bill that only made legislative findings and stated intent into one that creates new statutory law in the Health and Safety Code. The amended version adds Chapter 25 (Sections 27050-27052), which provides a legal safe harbor shielding manufacturers, distributors, providers, pharmacists, and individuals from civil or criminal liability for accessing or administering mifepristone or misoprostol, applied retroactively to January 1, 2020. It also reaffirms the lawfulness of transporting abortion-related drugs into California.

Scope change

The bill shifted from a purely declaratory findings-and-intent measure with no operative legal effect to one that creates binding statutory law in the Health and Safety Code, providing concrete liability protections for a broad range of actors involved in medication abortion access, with retroactive application to January 1, 2020.

ENFORCEMENT

New Section 27051(b) provides that no manufacturer, distributor, authorized health care provider, pharmacist, or individual shall be subject to civil or criminal liability or professional disciplinary action for accessing, mailing, shipping, receiving, transporting, distributing, dispensing, or administering mifepristone or misoprostol on or after January 1, 2020. This protection is applied retroactively to that date.

SCOPE

New Section 27051(a) reaffirms that it has been and will continue to be lawful to cause the delivery of, or mail, ship, take, receive, or otherwise transport into California any drug, medicine, or instrument designed or adapted to produce a lawful abortion.

Legislative findings expanded to include discussion of the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, California's state-level protections in response, and the ongoing Missouri v. FDA court case (Case No. 2:22-cv-00223-Z) that threatens mifepristone access.

TECHNICAL

New Section 27052 adds a severability clause for the new chapter.

Additional coauthors added: Senator Cervantes as principal coauthor, and Assembly Members Bonta, Harabedian, Kalra, and Zbur as coauthors.

FISCAL

Fiscal committee review designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now requires fiscal analysis due to its new operative provisions.

Floor votes · Assembly May 12, 2025

How they voted

60–10

Passed · 8 other

Total votes 78

May 12, 2025

D Democratic59

58 Yea 1

98% Yea

R Republican19

2 Yea 10 Nay 7

52% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 19, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

upper

Jul 16, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Jul 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

upper

Jun 30, 2025

Introduced

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 9. Noes 1.) (June 25).

upper

Jun 11, 2025

Upper · Passed

In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

upper

May 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.

upper

May 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 61. Noes 10. Page 1517.)

lower

May 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (May 7).

lower

Apr 30, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 1.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Apr 9, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

lower

Mar 18, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

lower

Mar 17, 2025

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.

lower

Mar 17, 2025

Committee

Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.

lower

Dec 3, 2024

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee January 2.

lower

1 primary · 14 co-sponsors