Pen. Code, § 423.2 · Title 11.7. CALIFORNIA FREEDOM OF ACCESS TO CLINIC AND CHURCH ENTRANCES ACT
Pen. Code, § 423.2
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
Every person who, except a parent or guardian acting towards their minor child or ward, commits any of the following acts shall be subject to the punishment specified in Section 423.3.
(a) By force, threat of force, or physical obstruction that is a crime of violence, intentionally injures, intimidates, interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate, or interfere with, any person or entity because that person or entity is a reproductive health services patient, provider, or assistant, or in order to intimidate a person or entity, or a class of persons or entities, or from becoming or remaining a reproductive health services patient, provider, or assistant.
(b) By force, threat of force, or physical obstruction that is a crime of violence, intentionally injures, intimidates, interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate, or interfere with a person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.
(c) By nonviolent physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates, or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate, or interfere with, any person or entity because that person or entity is a reproductive health services patient, provider, or assistant, or in order to intimidate any person or entity, or any class of persons or entities, from becoming or remaining a reproductive health services patient, provider, or assistant.
(d) By nonviolent physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates, or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate, or interfere with, a person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.
(e) Intentionally damages or destroys the property of a person, entity, or facility, or attempts to do so, because the person, entity, or facility is a reproductive health services patient, provider, assistant, or facility.
(f) Intentionally damages or destroys the property of a place of religious worship.
(g) Within 100 feet of the entrance to, or within, a reproductive health services facility, intentionally videotapes, films, photographs, or records by electronic means, a reproductive health services patient, provider, or assistant without that person’s consent with specific intent to intimidate the person from becoming or remaining a reproductive health services patient, provider, or assistant, and thereby causes the person to be intimidated.
(h) In any manner or forum, including, but not limited to, internet websites and social media, intentionally discloses or distributes a videotape, film, photograph, or recording knowing it was obtained in violation of subdivision (g) with the specific intent to intimidate the person from becoming or remaining a reproductive health services patient, provider, or assistant, and thereby causes the person to be intimidated. For purposes of this subdivision, “social media” means an electronic service or account, or electronic content, including, but not limited to, videos or still photographs, blogs, video blogs, podcasts, instant and text messages, email, online services or accounts, or internet website profiles or locations.
(i) Subdivisions (g) and (h) do not apply to a person described in subdivision (b) of Section 2 of Article I of the California Constitution.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 191, Sec. 6. (AB 1356) Effective January 1, 2022.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=423.2.
- Text hash
- sha256 60acf21a6719649ca1d1c5a60c20b09f7053bcc3a1947f08f285d6fc6a7e79b0
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
California Constitution
Cited by 8 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Pen. Code, § 423.2. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Penal Code
- Pen. Code, § 422.85Printed as Section 302, 423.2, 594.3, 11411, 11412, or 11413
- Pen. Code, § 422.865Printed as Section 302, 423.2, 594.3, 11411, 11412, or 11413
- Pen. Code, § 423.3Printed as Section 423.2
- Pen. Code, § 423.4Printed as Section 423.2
- Pen. Code, § 423.5Printed as Section 423.2
- Pen. Code, § 13776Printed as Section 423.2
- Pen. Code, § 13777Printed as Section 423.2
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.