Pro-abortion Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington announced this week that he will direct the Washington State Patrol to refuse cooperation with any investigatory requests related to abortion that come from agencies within states with restrictive abortion laws.
According to a press release from Inslee's office, this move comes in response to the United States Supreme Court overturning the landmark abortion cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey last week. In 1973, Roe legalized abortion in all 50 states. Roe's reversal sends the issue of abortion back to the states' elected representatives.
Inslee said that his directive ensures that the Evergreen State will be a "sanctuary" for anyone seeking an abortion.
On June 24, 2022, established constitutional principles of liberty and equality were extinguished in America when the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, thereby eviscerating the fundamental federal constitutional right to end a pregnancy—a choice that is deeply personal and private, and that was, until June 24, a matter to be decided by the individual in consultation with that person’s healthcare provider.
As a result of this flagrant disregard of established constitutional rights and sound legal precedents, over half of the states in this country already have or will soon ban or severely restrict access to abortion care and services. This means that where a person lives in this country will determine how “equal” and “free” that person is. We are already seeing antichoice leaders’ efforts to attack sanctuary states, like ours, to reach beyond their borders to criminalize and punish those who lawfully provide or seek abortion services that are protected under Washington law…Washington is and will remain a sanctuary for any person seeking abortion care and services in our state, but we must act to protect our rights and our values. To that end, it is critical that our law enforcement agencies not cooperate in any manner with any out-of-state investigation, prosecution, or other legal action based on another state’s law that is inconsistent with Washington’s protections of the right to choose abortion and provide abortion-related care.
The press release added that the order directs the Washington State Patrol to decline to cooperate with most subpoenas, search warrants and court orders from states "with laws that ban or significantly restrict abortion access."
In addition, the pro-abortion governor announced this week that he approved $1 million in funds to help abortion clinics accommodate the spike in out-of-state patients. It noted that Washington has joined in with California and Oregon to "protect and serve" those who come into the state seeking an abortion.
Since Roe was struck down, several states have worked toward restricting abortion and protecting unborn lives. According to figures from the National Right to Life Committee, 63 million abortions occurred since Roe was the law of the land. However, the justice's majority opinion last week explained that there is no constitutional right to an abortion and overturned Roe and Casey.
Townhall covered in March how Inslee signed a bill into law that prohibited "Texas-style" abortion lawsuits. It came after an abortion law passed in Texas that allowed private citizens to pursue legal action against anyone who provides or aids an illegal abortion.