California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill to make free condoms available for high school students

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

Updated 6:32 PM CDT, October 8, 2023

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected a bill on Sunday that would have made free condoms available all public high school students, arguing it was too expensive for a state with a budget deficit of more than $30 billion.

California had about 1.9 million high school students enrolled in more than 4,000 schools last year, according to the California Department of Education.

“This bill would create an unfunded mandate to public schools that should be considered in the annual budget process,” Newsom wrote in a message explaining why he vetoed the bill, known as Senate bill 541.

The bill would have required all public schools that have grades nine through 12 to make condoms available for free to all students. It would have required public schools with grades seven through 12 to allow condoms to be made available as part of educational or public health programs.




Read more: https://apnews.com/article/california-newsom-free-condoms-high-school-students-bb3f8678b662face00eed64595d0ca77

[msongs]

1. good for him, why make taxpayers liable for disease and pregnancy from defective or misused

condoms.

[kimbutgar]

2. I think Governor Newsom well thought out this bill and decided to veto it

Can you imagine the shit storm also on right wing media attacking him for approving a bill ?

There are other ways to stop unwanted pregnancies and STD with more funding for planned parenthood.

[JI7]

3. It's easy to buy condoms

[AkFemDem]

4. And get them free at Planned Parenthood

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

6. I'm not opposed to his veto of the bill

But telling people to go to Planned Parenthood is callous advice, given that most California teens do not have easy access to one. It's not like PP is on every corner. They're not even in every town, not even in California.

Even worse, many teens don't exactly have easy transportation to clinics that are even in their own cities; public options certainly aren't free. For kids not in cities, the transit options are effectively zero.

Please proceed, though, with instructing a 13 y/o in Black Butte or Lake Isabella how to visit to their nearest PP clinic without their parents' help or knowledge.

I'll wait.

[Polybius]

5. The California legislature has been insane lately

Good for Newsom, keep those vetoes coming.

[czarjak]

7. High schoolers in California are doing it?

[SilasSouleII]

8. I'm shocked!

Shocked, I tell you!

[czarjak]

9. The conservatives here have shut that whole thing down.

I been told.