$1M Pledged To Planned Parenthood By San Mateo County Supervisors

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors pledged $1 million in support for Planned Parenthood on Tuesday to help provide increased access to abortion care and create a buffer zone around facilities.

The county will allocate the funding to Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, which has three clinics in San Mateo County serving around 13,000 residents a year. The decision comes in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court draft indicating the likely reversal of Roe v. Wade.

“With the likely reversal of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court looming, San Mateo County and California as a whole must prepare for the inevitable increase of women seeking care here that will be unavailable to them elsewhere in the nation,” Supervisor Dave Pine said .

With more states set to ban abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, California would likely see an increase in the number of out-of-state patients seeking abortion care.

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte served 87 out-of-state patients over the last year, five of which were at clinics in San Mateo County.

“We are at a precipice and the time for action is now,” Supervisor Warren Slocum said. “These financial investments to Planned Parenthood Monte Mar will allow for more women to make decisions about their bodies, particularly those living in states set to ban abortion. What we have done today is monumental in this effort.”

The county will also develop a women’s reproductive freedom and healthcare privacy advocacy agenda and an information campaign about the reproductive services available.