San Francisco blacklists 22 states that 'disregard the right to abortion'
Beginning next year, employees in San Francisco will be forbidden to take work trips or do business with companies in 22 states that have “restrictive abortion laws.”
Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Vallie Brown announced the measure last week, explaining that the city must “fight back” as “women’s reproductive rights are threatened.”
“Just as we restricted spending with states that have laws that discriminate against LGBTQ people, we are standing up against states that put women’s health at risk and that are actively working to limit reproductive freedoms,” Breed said in a statement.
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She added: “By limiting travel and contracting with certain states, we are sending a clear message to states that disregard the right to abortion.”
“At a time when reproductive rights are being attacked from Washington and state houses across the country, it is imperative that San Francisco step up and fight back,” said Brown. “By restricting travel to states with restrictive abortion laws and that limit access to reproductive health, we are showing our commitment to women, trans men, and nonbinary people in San Francisco and across the country.”
Brown also shared the news on Twitter: “Our +$12 billion budget should be spent on what we stand for and reflect our values. San Francisco will not do business with the 22 states that have passed abortion bans. We will not fund states that harm women, trans men and non-binary people,” she wrote.
The ban will go into effect on Jan. 1
The states being blacklisted by San Francisco for their “severe anti-choice policies” are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Nine states – Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Texas – were already on the city’s list because of their LGBTQ laws and policies.
Restrictive abortion laws are defined as those that “restrict abortion before viability of the fetus to live outside of the womb.” The targeted states are those that ban abortion after between 13 and 24 weeks. Two of those states have attempted to ban abortion throughout pregnancy and five have attempted to ban abortion at six weeks, notes Fox News.
In a press release, the mayor’s office encouraged other cities to follow its example: “Although tax revenue from San Francisco alone may not be sufficient to encourage states to rethink their laws, if other cities and states follow San Francisco’s lead, the financial pressure might be enough to prompt policy changes,” it said.
On social media, the announcement received backlash from conservatives and ministry leaders.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts tweeted, “Nebraska is a proudly #prolife state, and this demonstrates shocking intolerance by coastal elites that is divisive to our nation.”
Terrisa Bukovinac, executive director of Pro-Life San Francisco, told The Daily Signal the move is only a “PR tactic” that indicates growing desperation within the abortion industry.
“I don’t think [San Francisco’s government] has any real power with this boycott,” Bukovinac said “It’s a PR tactic. This [resolution] is an attempt to fire up their base, but I don’t think that even they expect this to stand up to actual scrutiny in a courtroom.”
The resolution also could be a PR tactic to attract businesses outside the state, John Gerardi, executive director of Right to Life of Central California told the outlet.
“A lot of California’s wokeness is in a way that seems to benefit massive corporations,” he said. “San Francisco is riding the coattails of that mindset.”
On Facebook, evangelist Franklin Graham also criticized the move: “Progressive socialist leaders like Mayor Breed want everyone to swallow the lie that abortion is a woman’s right—even something to celebrate. But it’s not. Abortion is murdering a child in its mother’s womb. The Bible says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil …’ (Isaiah 5:20). I’m thankful to God for the many states and individuals across this great land that are standing for life,” he wrote.
Paul Chappell, senior pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church, tweeted: “California socialists continue to restrict freedoms in a spirit of ever expanding intolerance. #boycottsanfrancisco.”
