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today we have kaiser permanente to discuss the company's decade-long sponsorship of the san francisco pride parade. we are also talking about the struggles facing the national suicide and crisis lifeline. will speak with a member of the abc news medical unit. but first, tomorrow marks one year since a supreme court decision overturning roe v. wade, federal abortion protections. since then more than a dozen states have established near or total abortion bands. today in washington, d.c. president biden signed an exec at a border preserving the access to contraception as reproductive rights are poised to play a crucial role in the 2024 election. justin finch explains. reporter: saturday will mark one year since the supreme court reversed roby weight federal abortion protection. today some 25 million women of childbearing age now live in states where abortions are now

harder to get. president biden, signing an executive order friday calling for federal agencies to help expand americans' access to low-cost contraception. >> we will make sure that a woman can access what she needs to take care of herself. reporter: the order, largely seen as a symbolic as federal law already requires insurers cover fda approved contraception. in washington, the president and vice president, attending a reproductive rights event and earning early endorsements from pro-abortion access groups, including planned parenthood. today 20 democratic leaning states have protected abortion access. while more than a dozen republican led states have some kind of abortion restriction policy in place or pending, with 13 enacting the or total bans. >> my understanding is baby deserve equal protection. reporter: last fall, our washington post poll found more than 6% of americans oppose the court's decision.

former speaker nancy pelosi dared republicans to take up legislation that would restore abortion protections. >> are they afraid of their constituents? they will have a lot more to fear in the next election. reporter: across the the former vice president and current republican presidential candidate mike pence, doubling down. >> every republican candidate for president should support a ban on abortion before 15 weeks. >> vice president harris is set to observe one year since the supreme court's abortion decision with a major speech on reproductive rights in north carolina. justin finch, abc news, washington. liz: joining us live now to discuss the impact since roe was overturned is a sociology professor at ucsf, thank you for joining us, katrina. it's been a year. how much has changed since the dobbs decision? >> thank you very much for having me, liz.

quite a bit has changed. all in ways that were protectable even before the dobbs decision. as your correspondent noted, 14 states have banned or nearly banned abortion care, people are traveling out of the states that have banned abortion into states that -- where abortion remains illegal. we are seeing incredible impacts on health care and the ability to obtain standard of care and repetitive health care across the spectrum of people who become pregnant. liz: what are some of the states that have seen the most drastic change? >> the states that have a band have seen the number of abortions happening in clinic go down to zero. that can include states that would offer quite a number of abortions such as texas even though texas has had a series of legal cases and laws in place that i tried to reduce the number of abortions.

only following dobbs did the number actually go down to zero. we've seen states including florida and illinois and north carolina and california where the number of abortions that are taking place in clinics in those states have gone up. the largest increases have been in florida and illinois, states that are very close to other states that have banned abortion. so you have an easier trip for people who are coming from a banned estate into a state where abortion remains legal. california also neighbors some states or is close to states that have bans. it's also a place that is sometimes a little bit easier for people to travel to. so we have seen increases in these estates. anywhere from 4000 abortions to up to over 12,000 abortions in some of these surge states that people are traveling to in order to get care. liz: what is the impact on california? are clinics feeling the impact, getting overwhelmed? are they able to accommodate women coming here? >> that's a great question. that is something --

part of the dobbs decision meant some places were able to anticipate what it might mean to have an increase in patient flow. for the most part, with -- with some starts, clinics have been able to adapt, there's also been some innovations and how care is offered including through virtual clinics, that have really sort of streamlined the ability to care for an increased number of patients. liz: this is obviously a very personal thing for so many women and for doctors. have you spoken to any women that are dealing with the at have had to travel to other states? what are you hearing from women in some of these estates? >> yes. i've spoken to a number of people who have had to travel. i've also spoken to physicians whose hands have been tied. i wanted to offered a standard of care and abortion bands have prevented them from doing so. one of the thing i think --

things i think it gets lost in the conversation is the fact some of the people who need what these laws ban are people who are trying to continue their pregnancies. heartbreakingly ways that pregnancy can go wrong and when it does physicians need to be able to offer standard medical care to keep their patients safe and healthy. sometimes even just to keep them alive. what these abortion bans have done in states where they exist is prevent those physicians from being able to offer that care to their patients. so patients are having to travel. this is causing more distress for the physicians. they don't want to have to send patients out of state. the patients who were going -- are going, including people seeking abortion care not because of a medical emergency, they are experiencing financial costs, logistical costs, and the emotional stress of being away from home and perhaps fearing what they are doing is going to be criminalized and maybe they will go to jail. liz: right. to that point, especially about doctors, i heard there's also some concern about ob/gyn

doctors not wanting to now work in certain states. could this lead to a shortage of women's health doctors in some areas? in some states? >> physicians i've spoken with have talked about an interest potentially moving to a state where they can offer the standard of care where their hands are not tied by these laws. other ones are really committed to the place they are currently located in and don't want to leave behind that community. they've also said they would discourage other doctors from coming and practicing in the community. i think we may not see an immediate large-scale effect but i think we will probably see sort of a domino effect or an indirect over time impact of what it means for these laws to sort of take what is ultimately a gray area which is medicine and try to turn it into black-and-white, which is what the law does. liz: right. a lot has changed in one year. do you expect many changes like this in the coming years?

was happening moving forward -- what is happening moving forward? >> there are innovations and how patients are being able to receive and obtain the abortions they want. i think we will continue to see a rise in abortions, ordering pills online. there has been a shift in policies, such that people in all 50 states can receive abortion bills through the mail. i think some of those things are going to change and grow. i think we also may see politicians who push through these total bands starting to understand the really harrowing and dangerous consequences of the laws they've created. and i hope we will see some changes and amendments, clarifications, ideally even removal of these bans. liz: absolutely. i appreciate you joining us today and breaking this all down. thank you so much. just ahead, the str the new national suicide and

crisis lifeline. why so many states are falling behind on answering calls. but do they really? do they see that crick in your neck? that ache in your heart? will they see that funny little thing that wasn't there last year? a new bounce in your step? the way your retinal scan connects to your blood sugar? at kaiser permanente all of us work together to care for all that is you.

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liz: mental health is an issue we focus on as we work to build a better bay area. the national suicide and crisis lifeline, 988, launched almost one year ago, and data is showing many states are falling behind on answering calls. this is something abc news has reported on extensively. joining us now to discuss is the boston's children hospital pediatrician, eli c. thank you for joining us. i'm looking forward to speaking to you about this reporting. this crisis line launched

about a year ago. what exactly is happening? how many calls are being missed? >> thank you guys so much for having me. this is one administration's real priorities during their tenure now. they recognize this mental health crisis is affecting americans of all ages, in all sort of swaths of life. the issue now is answering millions of calls -- over 2 million calls since its launch. data shows tens of thousands of calls are still being missed at the state level. there is a national backup center. if you call in the state -- and the state cannot answer your phone call, it rolls to the backup center. but the services provided by these national backup centers are suboptimal compared to the services that can be offered locally, should you need a response near where you live.

liz: got it. i want to dig into that a little bit more. let's take a step back, if you could talk about when and why this new 988 crisis line was created. >> the national suicide prevention lifeline has been on the books since the early 2000's . it's been a one 800 number -- 1-800 number. even the folks who have worked for the line for years cannot remember the thing. in october, 2020, the biden administration announced that they were going to make a shift to a three digit number, 988, modeled after 911. that's the genesis of the shift over to the 988 number. although the infrastructure for 988 has been sort of presence around the country since the early 2000's. liz: got it. what are some of the challenges

the states are facing? why is it that these calls are going unanswered? >> we don't want to overstate the problem. states around the country are still answering thousands of calls. the call answer rates are up 45% compared to the 10 digit number. over the same period. however, just because you rebranded a phone number from 10 digits to three digits, just because they are more memorable does not mean that a mental health system is appearing out of thin air. one of the biggest issues for mental health around the country in recent history has been availability of mental health workforce, behavioral health staff. not just psychiatrists and psychotherapists but also counselors, school counselors, crisis counselors, peer supporters.

organizations looking at most pressing issues across the country. even before the pandemic, the country was missing about one million behavioral health workers, compared to what the demands were. so before the pandemic, we were short one million people. then we had the pandemic. which i think was uniquely difficult for everybody, in their own ways. we've seen the statistics since then. we've created a line people could remember. which means they are getting more calls than they would've gotten, even had -- so stopping is one of the pressing issues and that is what we have focused on an early reporting so far. liz: foot about staffing? can people who hear this volunteer? is it more challenging to become one of these people answering the phones? how does that work? >> that's a great question. i wish i had a straightforward answer for you.

the way the call line was set up is like so many initiatives that we have undertaken in this country. federally locally administered. that means the feds come out with a mandate that states that states develop systems for answering these calls, but it is dependent on each territory, in each state. so the states are deciding the credentials they need. different states need different credentials. some require a bachelors degree. others say as long as you've had some experience in mental health, that you can be considered -- some crisis centers allow volunteers. others do not. if you are someone who feels sort of pressed to help in this regard, either because you are to this and you think maybe you can contribute or you yourself or loved one has struggled with mental illness, like so many of us have in this country, it is worth looking

a website or just calling 988 from your phone and asking, are there opportunities to volunteer? it's not a slamdunk. but it's entirely possible that you could, should you desire to do so. liz: that's good to know. like you said earlier, we want to stress that they are still answering many calls and helping many people. but why is it so important that staff and get ramped up and these calls get answered in a timely manner? >> when announced, it came with a promise. a promise that going to take mental health care seriously, in a way that we have not done so systematically. the advocates that i speak with are frustrated by sort of the direction in of the early days

in terms of these missed calls. we have told this to the highest standard. one of the standards the federal authorities set was each state could answer 90% of the calls coming into them. aam-- and so far the vast majority of states are not meeting the threshold. we want to highlight that this is an amazing, important, timely, critical initiative, and say, what do we want for ourselves? and our loved ones, should we have to make that call, and how do we move towards there? certainly ensuring the calls get answered locally in a way that should people need local support, that is something that is at the call operator's fingertips. that is one of the issues that people are stressing, when they talk about just making sure, at the very least, the centers are staffed up sufficiently. liz: absolutely. eli, this is such an appoint story and important reporting --

important story and important recording. we hope people hear this and perhaps call and perhaps helping they are able to. thank you, eli. >> thanks for having us. stay tuned. we have a bunch of additional reporting coming. liz: we will look forwd to that. if you or someone you know couluse an ally when it comes to mental health, you will find local resources byoing to abc7news.com/takeaction. or you can call the suicide and crisis lifeline by simply dialing 988. the countdown is on to the san francisco pride parade. when we come back, a company that's been a prou sponsoror three decades will join us.

liz: welcome back. the san francisco is this sunday -- pride parade is this sunday. abc7 is a proud sponsor, as is kaiser permanente.

joining us now to discuss kaiser permanente's involvement in the celebration is the senior vice president and area manager for the san francisco golden gate service area. thank you for being here. why is san francisco pride so important to kaiser permanente? >> good afternoon, liz, it's really a pleasure to be here today with you and talk about the importance of pride. pride is such an amazing and important celebration of humanity and dignity. really for everybody. and as san francisco's long been known nationally and internationally, as a century and reviewed for lgbtq+ population. kaiser permanente is proud to be a long-standing century of caring, healing, and excellence for all of us and especially for lgbtq plus populations. we know people live their best lives when they can be there full authentic selves. -- their full authentic selves.

liz: really well said. what is different now after 29 years of kaiser permanente's sponsorship of pride? >> we are really proud to be sponsoring pride for the 29th year in a row. along testament of who we are. -- a long testament of who we are. we are also concerned to see the hate rhetoric and bills across the country to legislate away the rights of our lgbtq+ population. so for us, it is absolutely essential that, as a leader, we are out there, as they are celebrating, supporting, and really serving as a backbone to the community. and it is the visible support that we give to the community that we know is so important. because queer people are faced with physical and mental health struggles in the context of this kind of rhetoric. liz: kaiser permanente has been recognized 12 times by the human rights campaign foundation for its lgbtq+ health

care. that is a huge honor. you mentioned it, but why is it so critical right now? you said it, you have th visible presence but you also have doctors behind the scenes working every day with lgbtq+ patients and you. >> now more than ever, when people who are really seeking the fundamental right to get care and an affirming way of who they are as human beings, it is so important for us to stand proud and strong and say, we are they are, we are your partner, our providers reflect the community. we are very proud of that. and we know that by being a strong presence, we help affirm the individual dignity of each person, and much more importantly, the larger beauty overfull community, especially our lgbtq+ community. liz: let's talk about sunday. what are you most looking forward to it this weekend's pride festivities? >> honestly joining me will be

over 1000 kaiser permanente marchers. liz: wow. >> so i'm looking to a whole lot of fun, the joy, the expressions of beauty in all of us, and most importantly, we say, "you are beautiful, be who you are, the all that is you, and live with compassion for one another." liz: that's amazing. 1000 people that's a really good showing. do you guys have a float? do you have shirts? what's the plan? >> all of the above. we've got floats. he will see the kaiser permanente balloons and streamers. of course we've got dancers, the golden state warriors joining us. we are excited about that. you will see us loud and proud leading the parade. we are excited about that. thank you so much. liz: that's awesome. thanks for joining us. have a great day on sunday. we appreciate it.

remember, this sunday, is the only place you can see thfransco pride brt live. the abc 7 morning crew will be as well, coverage starts at 10 on sunday. we will also be on abc 7 -- abc7news.com/pride. it'going to be a great morning and afternoon. stick with us.

liz: we had another busy show today. a reminder -- you can get our live newscast, breaking news, weather and more with our abc7 bay area streaming tv app. it's available on apple tv, google tv, fire tv, and roku. just search "abc 7 bay area" and download it now.

thank you all for joining us here. we spoke about changes one year after the overturning of roe v. wade, laws that have changed across the country and the impact here in california, at abortions clinics -- abortion clinics here in the state and what it will mean moving forward. we also talked about issues with the national suicide and crisis lifeline and concerns over staffing. of course we talked about pride, happening this sunday. abc7 news is a very proud sponsor, you can watch it live here if you are not going to the actual parade. if you are, say hi tour morning team. we will be here every weekday at 3:00 p.m. answering questions with experts from around >> whit: tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the investigation ramping up into the catastrophic implosion of the titanic sub, and the major news overseas, the leader of russia's paramilitary group calling for an armed rebellion. first, ne