ACLU California Action Issues Statement on SB 379
SACRAMENTO – In response to SB 379 becoming a two-year bill, the bill co-sponsors NARAL Pro-Choice California, Equality California, and ACLU California Action, released the following joint statement:
While we are disappointed that SB 379 has been put on pause in the Legislature, we remain committed to its passage next year, and our efforts to hold UC Health accountable for providing equitable and inclusive healthcare continue.UC Health repeatedly misled lawmakers about the devastating impacts that non-medical restrictions have on care, as they have done with the UC Regents for years. Forcing UC patients to transfer to other facilities to get the care they seek unnecessarily creates serious health risks and is a form of discrimination. Healthcare delayed is healthcare denied.
This fight is far from over. While the courts and California Attorney General continue to investigate hospitals that restrict services for non-medical reasons, the UC Regents have the opportunity to fix this issue, once and for all.
We urge the UC Regents — in following the leadership of Senator Scott Wiener, Chair John A. Pérez and thousands of UC community members and Californians who have spoken out against these policies — to put an end to restrictive contracts that endanger patients and fly in the face of UC values. If the University of California does not address their failure to provide comprehensive care, we will continue to advance SB 379 next year.