Longtime women's rights attorney reacts to Supreme Court abortion ruling

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
"Kathryn Kolbert is the Co-Founder and Producing Director of the Athena Film Festival and served as the Founding Director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies from 2009 - 2018. She is a former president of People for the American Way and the People for the American Way Foundation.[1]

Biography
Kolbert graduated from the Kingswood School Cranbrook in 1970, received her Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University's School of Arts and Sciences[2] in 1974, and graduated cum laude from Temple University School of Law[2] in 1977.

Before she became a journalist, Kolbert was a public interest attorney specializing in women's reproductive rights.[2] From 1979 to 1988, she was a Staff Attorney with the Women's Law Project and Community Legal Services in Philadelphia.[2] Kolbert served as the State Coordinating Counsel of the American Civil Liberty Union's Reproductive Freedom Project in New York City[2] from 1988 to 1992. Between 1992 and 1997, she directed domestic litigation and public policy programs for the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, where she was Co-Founder and Vice President.[2]

In 1992, Kolbert argued before the United States Supreme Court in Planned Parenthood v. Casey,[3][4] a case which challenged five abortion regulations in Pennsylvania. Kolbert was unsuccessful and four out of five regulations were upheld.

From 1998 to 2008, Kolbert oversaw a program on law and American life at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center.[2] She was the Executive Producer of Justice Talking, a radio program distributed by National Public Radio, and directed an educational website called JusticeLearning.org, which received a Webby Award in 2005.[2]

Prior to working at Barnard, Kolbert spent a year in Washington, D.C. as president and CEO of the People for the American Way and People for the American Way Foundation.[2] She resigned as president and CEO on April 3, 2009."...

1.) In Response to Supreme Court Decision, Governor Newsom Signs Legislation to Protect Women and Providers in California from Abortion Bans by Other States

“SACRAMENTO – On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation to help protect patients and providers in California against radical attempts by other states to extend their anti-abortion laws into California.

“With today’s Supreme Court decision to endanger the health and safety of millions of women across the country, California must do everything it can to protect the fundamental rights of all women – in California and beyond,” said Governor Newsom. “We know that states like Missouri are already targeting women seeking abortions in states like California where abortion remains legal.

This legislation seeks to protect women and care providers from civil liability imposed by other states, and sends a clear message that California will continue to be a safe haven for all women seeking reproductive health care services in our state.”

SOURCE : https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/06/24/in-response-to-supreme-court-decision-governor-newsom-signs-legislation-to-protect-women-and-providers-in-california-from-abortion-bans-by-other-states/



2.) LEGAL

California steps into the post-Roe future
The state has been readying itself to become an abortion haven.

“But no other state has created such a comprehensive strategy — a legislative bill package with more than a dozen proposals, new funding to expand abortion access and a proposed November ballot measure that would enshrine the right to abortion in the state Constitution.

“ABORTION STAYS LEGAL IN CA,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Friday morning, lamenting that “This is not the America we know.”

SOURCE : https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/24/california-steps-into-the-post-roe-future-00042259