After California Gov. Gavin Newsom placed pro-abortion billboards as part of his reelection campaign advertisements in states restricting abortions, Christians in California are responding.
On Sept. 15, Newsom, a Democrat, announced several versions of billboard advertisements that would be going up across seven states.
“Just launched billboards in 7 of the most restrictive anti-abortion states that explain how women can access care—no matter where they live. To any woman seeking an abortion in these anti-freedom states: CA will defend your right to make decisions about your own health,” Newsom wrote on Twitter.
One of the billboards placed in Oklahoma and Indiana, which reads, “Need an abortion? California is ready to help,” also included a verse from the Bible, “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these,” citing Mark 12:31.
Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles responded in an open letter to Newsom on Sept. 28, calling the governor’s actions “thoroughly rebellious against God” and writing that the billboards promote “the slaughter of children, whom He creates in the womb.”
“You further compounded the wickedness of that murderous campaign with a reprehensible act of gross blasphemy, quoting the very words of Jesus from Mark 12:31 as if you could somehow twist His meaning and arrogate His name in favor of butchering unborn infants,” MacArthur wrote.
MacArthur, 83, also said the inclusion of scripture on the billboards made it hard to “imagine a greater sacrilege.”
Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference—a public policy advocacy group for the Catholic Church in California—told The Epoch Times that the billboards are “unconscionable” and “co-opt” the meaning of the words in the verse.
“He’s twisting the meaning of what Jesus and the Christian community meant for the last 2,000 years by this particular passage and using it to describe something that the Christian community traditionally has seen as absolutely adverse to their teachings,” she said.
The advertisements placed in conservative states are nothing more than “political theater,” according to Domingo.
“The reaction even of the Christian community is probably what he was hoping for,” she said.
In the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overturned on June 24, California’s Democratic lawmakers drafted measures to codify abortion procedures into the state’s constitution. Newsom signed 13 pieces of legislation that make abortion more accessible on Sept. 27, deeming California to be a “sanctuary state” for women seeking abortions.
This month, California also launched a taxpayer-funded website connecting women with abortion resources and services, including how to seek financial assistance.
Newsom is promoting that website on 18 billboards placed in seven states: Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Indiana, and Texas. Each of those states has enacted some restrictions on abortion.
“An alarming number of states continue to outlaw abortion and criminalize women, and it’s more important than ever to fight like hell for those who need these essential services,” Newsom said in a Sept. 27 statement. “We’re doing everything we can to protect people from any retaliation for accessing abortion care while also making it more affordable to get contraceptives.”
Some of the state legislation signed include Senate Bill 1245 by state Sen. Sydney Kamlager, a Democrat; Senate Bill 1375 by state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, a Democrat; and Assembly Bill 2223 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a Democrat.
SB 1245 allocates $20 million to a Los Angeles County abortion pilot program, and SB 1375 will permit trained nurses to perform abortions in the first trimester without the supervision of a physician.
Decried by opponents as an “infanticide” measure, AB 2223 will shield mothers and certified medical providers from criminal prosecution in infant deaths resulting from “causes that occurred in utero” up to days after birth.
The California Family Council—a pro-life, “biblically faithful” nonprofit—also condemned the governor for signing the abortion measures in a Sept. 27 statement, saying that the move was “meant to transform the state into a destination location for the country’s abortions.”
“With today’s abortion expansion, Gavin Newsom continues his shadow campaign for [the U.S.] president. By signing these 13 bills from the Future of Abortion Council, Newsom hopes to secure his spot in the White House at the expense of women and their unborn children,” Jonathan Keller, the nonprofit’s president, said in the statement.
“Governor Newsom tells pregnant women California has their back, but only if they choose to end their pregnancies. This package provides NO care for women who choose to keep their children. Gavin’s not pro-choice; he’s no choice.”
