Inslee: We are going to fight to keep Washington a pro-choice state
May 3, 2022, 3:27 PM | Updated: May 4, 2022, 6:45 am
Governor Jay Inslee spoke out against the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade at an impromptu pro-abortion rights rally at Kerry Park.
“Trudi and I have come here to say something very simple. And that is this. Washington state was a pro-choice state. Washington state is a pro-choice state. And we are going to fight like (expletive) to keep Washington a pro-choice state,” Inslee said in front of a cheering crowd.
News reports sharing a leaked draft of a decision from the Supreme Court of the United States indicate the conservative court is poised to overturn the country’s decades-old constitutional right to an abortion guaranteed by the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.
Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft opinion from Monday evening. It is unclear if the draft reflects the court’s final decision.
Despite WA codifying abortion access, federal prohibition ‘threat’ emerges, Gov. Inslee says
Elected leaders, community advocates, and reproductive care providers rallied in Seattle to assert and affirm Washington state’s stance as a pro-abortion rights state, dedicated to serving any person who needs access to a safe, affordable abortion.
Those in attendance at Inslee’s rally were Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal and Marilyn Strickland, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell, and the CEO of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Jennifer Allen.
“Washington state has a long history of supporting abortion rights, reinforced by the voters time and again over many years,” Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) wrote in a statement following the leak. “House Democrats, along with Senate Democrats and the Governor, have assured we maintain a safety net of abortion providers and enhanced protections for the right to choose in Washington, unlike some other states that are rolling back this fundamental right.”
Among the bills Inslee has signed while in office is the Reproductive Parity Act of 2018, which requires all health plans that include maternity care services to also cover abortion and contraception. He also signed the Affirm Washington Abortion Access Act of 2022, which better ensures the ability of Washington abortion care providers to serve any person who comes into the 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 an additional couple of Republican votes.
Former Washington State Senator Mark Miloscia (R) spoke out in favor of the U.S. Supreme Court’s potential decision, disagreeing with Inslee’s reaction.
“Governor Jay Inslee tweeted, not here, not in our lifetime, Washington will remain pro-choice,” said Miloscia on the Dori Monson Show. “I disagree with him. Pro-life is a fundamental moral issue. And this will energize all Christians, all people who support children and families, and the law will change. Abortion will eventually be banned in Washington state, just like any other red state and the clock is ticking on ending, what I consider, human sacrifice of unborn babies.”
Miloscia believes the abortion issue will become a defining topic for state elections in the near future.
“I think this election will continue to be based on economic issues and follow people’s feelings about the Biden administration, and frankly, its incompetence. And the same thing with the Inslee administration,” said Miloscia. “But eventually, this issue will rise to the top for the next three to five years. And we’ll really have those discussions and debates about human life and babies, and what the importance of children is. We will win that debate.”
