Abortion is legal in California at any stage before fetal viability, and later in pregnancy when the pregnant person’s life or health is at risk. California abortion access is backed by the state constitution, with no waiting period, no parental consent requirement for minors, and no residency rule, so you can obtain care whether you live in the state or travel in for it.
When You Can Get an Abortion in California
State law permits abortion through fetal viability, defined as the point when a physician, in good-faith medical judgment, finds a reasonable likelihood the fetus could survive outside the uterus without extraordinary measures.1California Legislative Information. California Code HSC 123464 – Reproductive Privacy Act Definitions Viability is generally understood to occur around 24 weeks. After viability, abortion remains legal when continuing the pregnancy would put your life or health at risk, and the treating physician makes that call.2California Legislative Information. California Code HSC 123468
California does not impose a mandatory waiting period. You can receive care as soon as you and your provider are ready. Minors of any age can consent on their own under the Family Code, with no parental involvement or judicial bypass required.3California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 6925 – Minor Consent to Pregnancy-Related Care You also do not need to be a California resident; providers cannot turn you away based on where you live.4California Department of Public Health. California Abortion Access – Communities
Medication and Procedural Options
Medication abortion uses mifepristone followed by misoprostol. Under current FDA approval, this method is available through 10 weeks of pregnancy, measured as 70 days from the first day of the last menstrual period.5U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Questions and Answers on Mifepristone for Medical Termination of Pregnancy Through Ten Weeks Gestation Some California providers prescribe through 11 weeks based on clinical evidence. You can get the pills through an in-person visit or through a telehealth consultation that ships the medication to you.
Beyond that window, procedural abortion is used. Vacuum aspiration is the most common first-trimester procedure, and dilation and evacuation is used later in pregnancy. Your provider will recommend the right method for your gestational age and medical history.
Who Can Perform the Procedure
California permits a broader range of clinicians to provide abortion care than most states. Licensed physicians, nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and physician assistants can all perform abortions, within the scope of their training and the gestational age of the pregnancy.6California Department of Justice. Reproductive Rights One practical result is more available appointment slots than you would find in states that restrict the procedure to physicians.
Finding a Provider
The California Department of Public Health runs an online abortion finder you can search by location, and it works for residents and out-of-state travelers alike.7California Department of Public Health. California Abortion Access – Find a Provider For referrals and help coordinating travel or lodging, you can reach the National Abortion Federation hotline at 1-800-772-9100 or ACCESS Reproductive Justice at 1-800-376-4636.
What It Costs
Private Insurance
For most state-regulated health plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2023, SB 245 prohibits co-pays, deductibles, and any other cost-sharing for abortion and related care, including pre-procedure lab work, counseling, and follow-up.8California Legislative Information. California SB 245 – Health Care Coverage: Abortion Services: Cost Sharing If you have a high-deductible health plan, the no-cost-sharing rules take effect only after you meet your annual deductible.
There is one important gap. SB 245 does not apply to self-insured employer health plans, which are governed by the federal ERISA statute and preempt state insurance rules. Large employers often self-insure, so if your coverage comes through a big company, check your plan documents for whether abortion is covered and what you would owe.
Medi-Cal
Medi-Cal covers abortion at any gestational age, with no prior authorization or medical justification required. Coverage includes the procedure, lab work, ultrasound, anesthesia, and follow-up visits.9Medi-Cal. Abortions and Directly Related Medical Services and Supplies
Help If You Are Uninsured or Traveling In
If you lack coverage, two state-supported funds can help. The Uncompensated Care Fund reimburses Medi-Cal participating providers who treat patients without coverage and with income below 400 percent of the federal poverty level. The Abortion Practical Support Fund gives grants to nonprofits that pay for travel, lodging, childcare, food, and similar logistics for people getting care.10California Department of Health Care Access and Information. Reproductive Health Care Access Initiative Both are funded through a $60 million state grant program.
Federal Tax Deduction
The IRS lists abortion as a deductible medical expense in Publication 502, and related costs like travel to a provider may also qualify.11Internal Revenue Service. Publication 502: Medical and Dental Expenses You can deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, but only if you itemize instead of taking the standard deduction.
Privacy and Shield Law Protections
California has built several overlapping layers of legal protection around abortion-related information and against legal threats from other states. This is where state law has grown most aggressively since Dobbs.
Protection From Out-of-State Enforcement
AB 1242 bars California law enforcement from arresting anyone for performing or obtaining a lawful abortion in the state. It also prohibits state and local public agencies from cooperating with, or sharing information with, out-of-state agencies investigating a lawful California abortion.12California Legislative Information. California AB 1242 California courts cannot issue subpoenas tied to another state’s abortion proceeding, and the Governor has committed to declining extradition requests for legal abortions performed in the state. Follow-on laws prevent California from enforcing other states’ laws that criminalize reproductive health care.13California Department of Public Health. What California Is Doing to Protect Abortion Access
Your Medical Records
California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, strengthened by AB 352, prohibits providers, insurers, and employers from cooperating with any out-of-state inquiry seeking to identify someone who obtained an abortion that was lawful in California. The law also blocks the release of abortion-related records in response to out-of-state subpoenas.14California Legislative Information. California AB 352 – Health Information
On top of that, a 2024 federal rule tightened the HIPAA Privacy Rule nationwide. Hospitals, clinics, and insurers anywhere in the country cannot hand over your records to support a criminal, civil, or administrative investigation into someone for seeking, getting, or providing reproductive health care that was legal where it was provided.15Federal Register. HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy
Phone Location Data
AB 45, enacted in 2025, makes it illegal to geofence any in-person health care facility in California for the purpose of tracking, identifying, or advertising to people seeking care. It also bars collecting, selling, or retaining personal information from anyone physically located at a family planning center. Violations carry a $25,000 civil penalty per incident, enforceable by the Attorney General.16California Legislative Information. California AB 45 The law closes a loophole data brokers and anti-abortion groups had used to identify clinic visitors through their phones.
Why These Rights Are Hard to Undo
Two separate provisions of the California Constitution protect reproductive freedom. Article I, Section 1 lists privacy as an inalienable right, which state courts have used for decades to strike down abortion restrictions.17California Legislative Information. California Constitution Article I In November 2022, voters approved Proposition 1, adding Section 1.1, which states that “the state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.”18California Legislative Information. California Constitution Article I Section 1.1 The Reproductive Privacy Act carries the same protection into statute.19California Legislative Information. California Code HSC 123462 – Reproductive Privacy Act Any future effort to restrict abortion in California would have to clear an extraordinarily high constitutional bar.