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California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of pro-abortion bills into law, including measures that allow non-physicians to perform abortions past the first trimester and require chemical abortions on community college campuses. Despite previously vetoing a bill related to extradition of abortionists, Newsom supports expanding abortion access and protections for abortion providers, while critics highlight the increased health risks and lack of adequate medical infrastructure for these policies.

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan denied surrogate McKenna West's emergency appeal to overturn a California court ruling that she has no legal or physical claim to the medically fragile baby boy she carried, who was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Despite West's efforts to secure custody and ensure the baby received life-saving care in Texas, the baby's genetic parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, retain legal rights and are currently suing West for damages, while courts have ordered that the baby must receive stabilizing and life-sustaining care.

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 2164, which would have codified and strengthened protections for abortion providers against extradition to pro-life states, despite having previously signed an executive order with similar protections in 2022. Newsom explained his veto by stating that extradition is an executive function and expressed concern about setting a precedent that would limit the authority of future governors, a decision that drew criticism from abortion rights advocates.

A Texas District Court vacated an emergency order that had kept Baby Gabriel/Rumi, born via surrogate McKenna West, in Texas to receive care for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, allowing his genetic parents to move him to California if approved by doctors. The court found that the genetic parents have consented to all recommended medical treatments and that some restrictions of the emergency order were no longer medically necessary, while maintaining that stabilizing and life-sustaining care must continue and that the Guardian Ad Litem remains appointed for the child.

CBS News conducted a year-long investigation into the surrogacy industry, revealing widespread abuses including the exploitation of vulnerable women such as undocumented immigrants and single mothers, lack of transparency about intended parents, and surrogacy farming where multiple surrogates are contracted simultaneously without their knowledge. California was identified as a central hub for surrogacy due to favorable laws and geographic location, but the industry remains largely under-regulated, allowing practices like multiple surrogates for one intended parent to occur without legal oversight.

Closing arguments in the case against the California Attorney General, filed by Thomas More Society on behalf of Heartbeat International and RealOptions, are scheduled for September 17, 2026, in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland after a nearly three-year legal battle and six-week bench trial. The defendants argue that the Attorney General failed to prove their speech about Abortion Pill Reversal is commercial, false, or misleading, and no evidence was presented of any woman harmed by APR, which remains legal and approved for continuing education in California.

A California man has been charged with murder for a DUI crash that killed a man, injured a pregnant woman, and caused the death of her preborn child.

Two women approached the counselor, verbally attacking him, his wife, and his children, who were present, saying his wife "should have killed" their children.