State Threatens to Sue Over Federal Abortion Provision

California’s attorney general said Wednesday he would sue the federal government to block a congressional restriction that could stall federal funds if the state enforced its abortion rights laws.

Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) inserted the provision into a $388-billion spending bill last month. It would block any of the money from going to government agencies that punish healthcare providers and insurers because they don’t provide abortions, make abortion referrals or cover them.

Weldon, a doctor, said the measure would prevent healthcare providers who oppose abortion from being forced to assist in ending pregnancies.

But Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said California could be among the states most affected because it has some of the most sweeping laws protecting women’s right to abortion, along with a privacy guarantee written into the state Constitution.

One state law, for instance, bars hospitals from refusing to perform abortions for women in emergency situations.

Lockyer called the provision “an unacceptable attack on women’s rights and state sovereignty, and a backdoor attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade.”

California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco endorsed Lockyer’s announcement Wednesday, as did Planned Parenthood.