Washington AG Seeks Protections For Out-Of-State Abortion Providers

OLYMPIA, WA — While the Supreme Court has yet to make its official ruling on Roe V. Wade, Washington is not waiting around, with several state leaders working to enshrine abortion access in case the court votes to overturn reproductive rights.

Among those leaders taking action is Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who on Monday sent a letter to the Washington Medical Commission, the Washington State Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, the Washington State Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission, and the Washington Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission asking them to ignore select criminal prosecutions in pro-life states if Roe. V Wade is overturned.

The abovementioned boards are responsible for providing licenses for medical providers in Washington. Normally, that process involves a criminal background check, and some convictions can disqualify doctors from obtaining a Washington-certified medical license. Ferguson's letter asks the boards to ignore convictions or penalties that are related to reproductive or gender-affirming care that is legal and protected in Washington but may be criminalized in other states— in essence, allowing doctors or other health care providers who have been punished in other states for providing abortions to flee to Washington and resume their practice.

“If the United States Supreme Court eliminates the federal right to abortion and reproductive care, medical providers who come to Washington to practice should be not penalized for providing this essential care that is legal in Washington,” Ferguson said. “We have the opportunity here to stand up for our values that voters have adopted into law.”

When Politico first leaked a draft majority opinion showing the U.S. Supreme Court was poised to overturn Roe V. Wade, Ferguson was among the first batch of local leaders to take a public stand against the draft, calling it "extreme" and "wildly out of step" with the wishes of most Americans.

"It removes and reverses decades of legal precedent relied upon by millions and millions of women in this country," Ferguson said at a news conference on May 3. "It is outrageous, and we will not accept it."

Other state leaders like Gov. Jay Inslee have promised other abortion protections, including possibly offering protections to those who travel to Washington seeking abortions, enshrining abortion in the state constitution, and expanding resources to provide abortion services to more Washingtonians and to people who come to Washington state for help.

Related: 'A Beacon For Choice' WA Leaders Pledge To Uphold Abortion Rights