Inslee, other elected officials vow to support abortion rights amid Roe v. Wade turmoil
SEATTLE — A host of Washington state's top elected officials, including Gov. Jay Inslee, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, pledged Tuesday to fight for reproductive rights amid the very real possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade court decision that legalized abortion.
<>><>><>><>><>>PHOTOS: Protests in Washington state and around the country over Roe v. Wade
A leaked draft of a decision from the Supreme Court to potentially overturn the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade has upended political life in the U.S., drawing howls of outrage from Democrats angered by the possibility of the landmark decision being overturned.
Hundreds of people cheered on the governor and others during the event at Kerry Park in Seattle as they vowed to defend a woman's right to choose.
"Washington state was a pro-choice state. Washington state is a pro-choice state," Inslee said. "And we are going to fight like hell to keep Washington a pro-choice state! That's why we're here today."
Dozens of people attended the rally and news conference to express their support for abortion rights despite the uproar that has resulted from the release of the draft opinion.
"Let's be clear about this draft opinion that has been made public," Ferguson said. "It is extreme. It is radical. It is widely out of step with the views of the American people. It is outrageous and we will not accept it"
Ferguson said the draft opinion "removes and reverses decades of legal precedent relied upon by millions and millions of women in this country."
But the attorney general vowed that Washington state will continue to provide access to safe and legal abortions, citing a vote in 1991 by local voters that will keep abortions legal here.
"I can assure you in no uncertain terms that my office will do everything in our power to protect and preserve this fundamental and important legal right," Ferguson said. "And protect the legal right of anyone who wants to come here to Washington state to access reproductive healthcare."
Inslee said there are three things the state must do to enshrine abortion rights for Washington residents, including:
- Explore and act appropriately to provide sanctuary for American citizens who travel to Washington to obtain an abortion.
- Add the right to an abortion to the state's Constitution.
- Ensure that adequate resources exist for those who come to Washington state seeking an abortion.
"They will be welcomed and they will be served," Inslee said. "We will not allow the tentacles of Texas to get into Washington state!"
It was clear that the draft opinion has generated a sizable emotional reaction from opponents.
"It's disgusting," King County Executive Dow Constantine said. "But not surprising."
It's the first punch and they're going to continue taking people's rights away, said Andrea York.
"Someone else's morality should not be dictating what I can and cannot do with my body," one protester said.
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"Elected leaders, community advocates and reproductive care providers are rallying today to assert and affirm that Washington state remains a pro-choice state dedicated to serving any person who needs access to a safe, affordable abortion," Inslee said in a statement.
Inslee was joined by Ferguson, Jayapal, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, Constantine, Seattle Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell, CEO of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Jennifer Allen, patient and board president of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Jennifer Martinez, treasurer Mike Pelliciotti, Democratic House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, representatives Tana Senn, My-Linh Thai, Liz Berry, Noel Frame, Brandy Donaghy and Javier Valdez, senators Joe Nguyen, Patty Kuderer and Yasmin Trudeau and King County Council member Rod Dembowski.
"Washington state has a long record of affirming patients’ rights to abortion and reproductive health care," Inslee said in his release. "This pending SCOTUS decision highlights the crucial role governors and state legislatures play in protecting access to such care. Even in Washington state, extremist legislative Republicans have attempted to roll back abortion rights repeatedly in recent years.
"But Democratic majorities continue to defend full access to safe and affordable abortion. Among the bills Inslee has signed while in office is the Reproductive Parity Act of 2018 that requires all health plans that include maternity care services to also cover abortion and contraception, and the Affirm Washington Abortion Access Act of 2022 that better ensures the ability of Washington abortion care providers to serve any person who comes in Washington state seeking an abortion. The access bill was passed on a straight party-line vote in both the House and Senate, and the parity act passed with only a couple Republican votes."
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft on Tuesday morning and ordered an investigation into the leak.
Pro-choice protests are scheduled across the country this week, including at the Supreme Court in the District of Columbia on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, Inslee signed into law a measure that increases the number of providers who can provide abortions, granting specific statutory authorization for physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners and other providers acting within their scope of practice.
The measure also prohibited legal action against people seeking an abortion and those who aid them, a move designed to rebut recent actions by conservative states. Conservative legislatures in several states have either passed or proposed new abortion restrictions in anticipation of possible changes to the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Washington’s measure, which takes effect in June, prohibits the state from taking any action against an individual seeking to end their pregnancy or for assisting someone who is pregnant in obtaining an abortion.
The language is in response to a Texas law, which took effect last September, and which bans abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy and makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. The enforcement of the law is left up to private citizens, who can collect $10,000 or more if they bring a successful lawsuit against a provider or anyone who helps a patient obtain an abortion.
If Inslee pushes for a constitutional amendment, as Democratic leaders in California have announced they would do, Democratic leaders would need to secure bipartisan support since the Democratic majority in the Washington Legislature does not hold a supermajority in either chamber, and it takes a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
Jinkins said in a phone interview that a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution is hard to achieve “but that’s an option we would consider.”
She said for now though, her focus was to protect the current protections in state law and “to continue to make sure that everyone in this state has access.”
Inslee also noted that the state Supreme Court could codify abortion rights in the state constitution, but said that would take litigation and time.
Senate Republican Leader John Braun said that the court opinion “does not change much in our state.”
“Democrats have been quick to point out that the law here in Washington continues to provide opportunities for abortion procedures,” he said in a written statement. “Whatever the law, whatever your politics, fewer abortions should be a common goal.”
Twenty-six states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the pro-abortion rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, 22 states already have total or near-total bans on the books that are currently blocked by Roe, aside from Texas. The Texas law banning it after six weeks has been allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court due to its unusual civil enforcement structure. Four more states are considered likely to quickly pass bans if Roe is overturned.
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law.
KOMO News reporter Jackie Kent, KOMONews.com Executive Producer Alfred Charles and the Associated Press contributed to this report.