On Dobbs Decision Anniversary, Cantwell Releases New Snapshot Report on State of Abortion Care in Washington State
Planned Parenthood clinics in Western Washington report longer wait times for care due to influx of patients from Idaho, Texas, Florida, and 19 other states.
SEATTLE, WA – On the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined health care providers and advocates at Harborview Medical Center for a press conference on how Washington state’s medical system is handling the influx of patients from states who have curtailed or eliminated access to reproductive healthcare.
At the presser, Sen. Cantwell released a new snapshot report detailing the downstream impacts that some states’ restrictive abortion laws have had on the Washington state health care system. Health care providers in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon revealed several findings for the report, including stories of Idaho OB/GYNs recommending that their pregnant patients purchase air ambulance insurance, medical school graduates avoiding residencies in Idaho to ensure they learn the full range of reproductive care, and Planned Parenthood clinics in Western Washington having longer wait times due to influx of patients from as far away as Texas and Florida. The snapshot report is available HERE.
“Access to reproductive care shouldn't be based on where you live, and a doctor's ability to deliver that care should not be based on where they practice...This is just no way to practice medicine,” Sen. Cantwell said. “That is why we're fighting in Washington [DC] to change these laws. But...MAGA Republicans have blocked those protections every step of the way.”
“We are now living in two very different United States. In 2023 the Lilith Clinic in Seattle saw patients from 20 different states … to obtain a medical procedure that a quarter of American women will need in their lifetime,” said Grayson Dempsey, Director of Public Affairs at the Lilith Clinic.
“I have had patients who have totally typical courses of pregnancy and choose to take up a second residence or live in a hotel post-viability because they are fearful of what might happen if they do have a complication,” said Jacquiline Blanco, RN, a Public Policy Committee member at the Association of Women’s Health.
“I have spoken with some of our domestic violence and sexual assault advocates who work in programs in Eastern Washington, and they have seen an alarming rate of Idaho survivors seeking refuge here in Washington... Survivors travel dozens, sometimes hundreds, of miles to seek care in Washington because of the harsh restrictions in Idaho,” said Em Stone, Public Policy Director at the Washington State Domestic Violence Coalition.
Two years ago, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning a half century of national abortion rights under Roe v. Wade. While Washington has long protected the right to an abortion under state law, health care providers and patients in the state began to see negative consequences of the Dobbs decision almost immediately.
On the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Senator Maria Cantwell released a snapshot report that detailed the impact of the ruling on abortion providers and patients in the State of Washington. Among other far-reaching impacts, the report found that Idaho's abortion ban led to a 56% surge in abortion patients from Idaho seeking care at Eastern Washington abortion clinics by June 2023.
Now, on the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs ruling, Sen. Cantwell has prepared another report about its continued effects. In June 2024, the impact of the Dobbs decision on Washington state's health care system appears much wider – going well beyond abortion – and continues to affect Washington patients and providers.
A full timeline of Senator Cantwell’s actions since a draft of the Dobbs decision was leaked in spring 2022 is available HERE.
Sen. Cantwell was joined by Dr. Elizabeth Harrington, a University of Washington OB/GYN and assistant professor, Jacquiline Blanco, RN, a Public Policy Committee member at the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, Grayson Dempsey, Director of Public Affairs at the Lilith Clinic, and Em Stone, Public Policy Director at the Washington State Domestic Violence Coalition at today’s press conference.
Video of Sen. Cantwell’s press conference remarks are available HERE, photos HERE, and a transcript HERE.
Video of Dr. Elizabeth Harrington, a University of Washington OB/GYN and assistant professor remarks HERE.
Video of Grayson Dempsey, Director of Public Affairs at the Lilith Clinic remarks HERE.
Video of Jacquiline Blanco, RN, a Public Policy Committee member at the Association of Women’s Health remarks HERE.
Video of Em Stone, Public Policy Director at the Washington State Domestic Violence Coalition remarks HERE.
Full recording of livestream is available HERE.
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