Assemblymember Mia Bonta’s Freedom to Birth Act Signed into Law by Governor Newsom, Expanding Safe & Affordable Birthing Options

SACRAMENTO – This weekend, AB 55, the Freedom to Birth Act, authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The bill cuts outdated and overly burdensome licensure requirements that have resulted in policy-created barriers to expanding the number of California birth centers. The Freedom to Birth Act will make it easier to open and sustain more high-quality places for Californians to give birth.

“Red tape should never stand in the way of proven solutions to deliver affordable and accessible healthcare for Californians. By signing AB 55, our state has taken a much-needed step to address the maternal health crisis,” said Assemblymember Mia Bonta. “As Californians face fewer and fewer choices in where to give birth, the Freedom to Birth Act delivers more affordable and accessible birthing options while expanding culturally concordant care and improving health outcomes, particularly for our Black and Indigenous families who face the highest maternal health risks.”

California is home to over 38 million people, but it is down to a mere handful of licensed birth centers as the process has failed to become standardized over the past 30 years. Only one facility has been licensed since the guidance was last updated in 2018. Currently, licensure requires persistence, extended periods of time, and substantial financial investment. As such, roughly 27 facilities have chosen to operate without a state license, making them available only to those with select insurance or the ability to pay out of pocket. 

Alternative Birth Centers have been found to improve newborn birth rates, decrease the rate of cesarean birth, promote successful breastfeeding, save money, and even decrease racial health disparities. Under AB 55, more of these facilities will be able to open, thrive, and serve families across the state.

"We applaud Governor Newsom for signing AB 55 into law and recognizing the urgent need to improve California’s maternity care system. This is a significant step forward in protecting the rights and dignity of pregnant and birthing individuals across our state. AB 55 ensures a more equitable, respectful, and safe birth experience for all Californians—especially for those who have been historically marginalized by our health care system. We’re proud to have supported this bill and thank Assemblymember Bonta for her leadership in championing these long-overdue reforms," said Sandra Poole, Health Policy Advocate, Western Center on Law and Poverty.

“This is a monumental step forward for our birthing community. AB 55 will directly improve the lives of birthing people in California by addressing the absence of access to maternity care that has disproportionally impacted California's low-income, Black, Latina, Indigenous, and rural communities when maternity wards close, particularly in rural counties. Black Women for Wellness is proud to have worked together collaboratively to make this a reality. The passage of this bill is a testament to the dedication of our Governor to move California forward as it relates to Maternal Healthcare. We look forward to seeing its swift implementation,” said Kimberly Robinson, Black Women for Wellness.

Free-standing birth centers have been found not only to improve health outcomes but also to save over $2,000 in Medicaid costs for every mother/baby when compared to typical care. These facilities are a needed piece of the healthcare puzzle as over 50 labor and delivery wards have closed in California hospitals in the past decade, and twelve counties, primarily rural, have been left with no hospitals to deliver babies.

AB 55 was supported by:

• American Association of Birth Centers – California Chapter (co-sponsor)

• Black Women for Wellness Action Project (co-sponsor)

• California Association of Licensed Midwives (co-sponsor)

• California Black Women’s Health Project (co-sponsor)

• California Nurse-Midwives Association (co-sponsor) 

• Western Center on Law & Poverty, Inc. (co-sponsor)

• Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District IX

• American Nurses Association/California

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Southern California

• Black Women Organized for Political Action

• California Black Health Network

• California Black Power Network

• California Catholic Conference

• California Health Coalition Advocacy

• California Latinas for Reproductive Justice

• California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network

• California Medical Association

• California Native Vote Project

• California Pan-Ethnic Network

• California Physician’s Alliance

• California WIC Association

• California Women’s Law Center

• Californians for the Advancement of Midwifery

• Citizens for Choice

• Community Legal Aid SoCal

• Courage California 

• End Child Poverty California

• Essential Access Health

• First 5 California 

• Green Policy Initiative 

• Health Access California

• Hispanas Organized for Political Equality

• If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice

• Indivisible CA: StateStrong

• Initiate Justice

• Latino Coalition for a Healthy California

• Local Health Plans of California

• National Health Law Program

• Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California

• Public Law Center

• Reproductive Freedom for All California

• San Francisco Bay Area Black & Jewish Unity Coalition

• South Sacramento Christian Center

• United Nurses Association of California / Union of Health Care Professionals

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Assemblymember Mia Bonta represents California’s 18^th Assembly District encompassing the East Bay including Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville. She also chairs the Assembly Health Committee.

Courtesy photos can be found HERE.