Gov. Newsom’s New Ad Campaign Targets Abortion Travel Bans In Other States

Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new advertising campaign on Sunday targeting abortion travel bans in other states that are currently being considered.

Last month, several states, including Tennessee, Mississippi, and Oklahoma, introduced legislation to help curtail those seeking abortions in their states to travel to other states for abortions. Based on an Idaho law created last year and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last month, these laws aim at ending “abortion trafficking,” or the act of helping a minor to receive an abortion out of state.

In California, the state has been an abortion sanctuary state since 2o22. Multiple laws have been signed into law that make the procedure readily available in the state for out-of-state abortion-seekers. California has even made the procedure cheaper by removing co-pays while making the state a general “safe haven” for those wanting the procedure.

Indeed, following the reversal of Roe v. Wade in mid-2022 with Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the number of people coming to California for abortions increased 16%.

Gov. Newsom, known for his ad buys in other states against issues he doesn’t like, including placing abortion billboards in several red states in 2022, decided to challenge new out-of-state legislation with another ad campaign on Sunday. While many ads against the abortion trafficking bills are set to debut, only one premiered on Sunday in Tennessee.

In the ad, simply titled “Hostage” a woman is handcuffed to a hospital bed, seemingly forced to give birth and pleading for help. The voice over then says “Trump Republicans want to criminalize young women who travel to receive the reproductive care they need. Don’t let them hold Tennessee women hostage.” Then the ad directs them to Newsom’s “Protect the right to travel” website.

Speaking on Meet the Press on Sunday, Newsom explained his ad campaign:

“The conditions in conservative states are much more pernicious than they even appear. These guys are not just restricting the rights, self-determination to bear a child for a young woman. But they’re also determining their fate as it relates to their future in life by saying they can’t even travel.”

“That’s how serious this moment is. And we need to be even more aggressive, I would argue. And that’s what this ad represents.”

Reaction to the ad varied wildly on Sunday and Monday, ranging from positive to negative. Suzanne Hopkins, a researcher and polling company manager, gauged initial reactions Sunday night and on Monday told the Globe that while the ad was striking, many audiences have been indifferent to it.

“So, people in Tennessee who saw the ad, they said it was powerful, but at the same time, really didn’t change their mind on the issue,” noted Hopkins. “Granted, the ad isn’t two days old and there hasn’t been more of a formal survey on this. We did have some Californians who moved to Tennessee respond, and it was half ‘This is why I left the state’ and half ‘I need to move back to California.'”

“Californians differed too. They had to see the ad through YouTube, but many were like ‘Tennessee cannot pass this law. Thankfully Newsom is doing this.’ Others saw the ad purely as political. And still others said ‘Newsom is at it again.'”

“What is clear is that he is not winning anyone over with his ad. He’s getting attention, which is probably what he wants, and he’s trying to make California out as this great bastion of freedom. And, really, a few viewers hit the nail on the head. The laws are complex. The ad just covers abortion like this, when in reality it’s a law that covers only minors and not in cases of rape, incest, or other means like that. But you can’t fit context on a thirty second ad spot between The Big Bang Theory reruns.”

“This is just his latest selection of new ads, and it looks like we’ll be seeing more soon.”

Other similar ads are due to run in other states soon.