Press Release National
Press Release
For Second Straight Debate, Steve Hilton Avoids Accountability on Letting Anti-Abortion States Target California Doctors
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
For Second Straight Debate, Steve Hilton Avoids Accountability on Letting Anti-Abortion States Target California Doctors
Washington, DC — For the second consecutive night, reproductive freedom went unaddressed on a California gubernatorial debate stage, even as anti-abortion politicians and judges escalate attacks on abortion access nationwide. Steve Hilton again avoided transparency on a top-of-mind issue for voters after abortion access and questions of extradition to Republican states were once again absent on the stage during tonight’s Telemundo/NBC4 debate.
Following last week’s Louisiana v. FDA ruling, Reproductive Freedom for All had called on CNN’s debate moderators to question Hilton directly about his comments supporting the extradition of a California doctor for providing legal abortion care. That question was never asked during either debate, despite the growing threat anti-abortion politicians pose to providers and patients nationwide.
Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju released the following statement:
“For the second night in a row, Steve Hilton avoided accountability for his dangerous position on extraditing California doctors. As Trump’s endorsed candidate in this race, Hilton has made clear he would open the door to anti-abortion states reaching into California to prosecute doctors for providing care that is legal in this state. Californians deserve to know whether someone running to lead this state would stand up to the coordinated national effort to roll back reproductive freedom, or help advance it.”
Reproductive Freedom for All Senior Director of California Campaigns Kristin Slevin released the following statement:
“Californians still haven’t heard Steve Hilton answer for his support of allowing anti-abortion states to target doctors providing legal care in this state. That silence doesn’t change the stakes. At a time when attacks on abortion access are escalating across the country, California voters deserve clarity about who will protect providers and patients, and who would leave them vulnerable.”
###
For over 55 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.