West Coast States Launch New Multi-State Commitment to Reproductive Freedom, Standing United on Protecting Abortion Access in face of U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Roe vs. Wade

Statement

For fifty years, the United States has recognized the right to reproductive freedom as critical to guaranteeing every person has control over their own bodies, and privacy regarding their most intimate reproductive choices.

Reproductive freedom -- including the choice of when and whether to have children -- is foundational to a person's autonomy, dignity, and ability to participate fully in economic, social, and civic life.

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn half a century of settled precedent and rescind the U.S. Constitution's protection of reproductive freedom jeopardizes safe access to reproductive healthcare across the United States.

Today, over half the states in this country outright ban or severely restrict access to abortion. In many states, patients, doctors, and other health care providers now face criminal prosecution for receiving or providing abortion health care.

Health care providers also face civil liability or loss of their medical licenses. Emboldened by the U.S. Supreme Court's leaked and now final decision, antichoice states are considering legislation to extend the effect of their laws outside their own territorial borders. They seek to criminalize patients who travel to other states where abortion healthcare is legal, as well as the health care providers offering services and anyone else who helps patients access that care. Other states are considering bans on contraception, including IUDs and morning-after pills. Even more crackdowns on reproductive freedom are certain to follow.

We will not stand on the sidelines as these attacks mount.

Through this Multi-State Commitment to Reproductive Freedom, the undersigned states will defend access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion and contraceptives. Together, we commit to work to:

* Protect against efforts by states hostile to abortion rights to target patients who receive legal reproductive healthcare services in our states, those who support patients in accessing reproductive healthcare services in our states, and licensed medical professionals who provide legal reproductive healthcare services in our states; and

* Protect against judicial and local law enforcement cooperation with out-of-state-investigations, inquiries, and arrests regarding the provision of, receipt of, inquiry about, or assistance with obtaining abortion and other reproductive healthcare services that are legal in our states; and

* Refuse non-fugitive extradition of individuals for criminal prosecution for receiving legal reproductive healthcare services in our states, supporting patients in accessing reproductive healthcare services in our states, or providing legal reproductive healthcare services in our states, and charge our state judiciaries with not issuing subpoenas or summons in cases where prosecution is pending, or where a grand jury investigation has commenced or is about to commence, for a civil or criminal violation of a law of another state involving the provision or receipt of or assistance with lawful reproductive healthcare services accessed in one of our states; and

* Protect against the misuse of medical records and other personal and sensitive health information to target patients who receive legal reproductive healthcare services in our states, those who support patients in accessing legal reproductive healthcare services in our states, and licensed medical professionals who provide legal reproductive healthcare services in our states; and

* Protect against adverse actions by personal or professional liability insurers against those who assisted an individual from out-of-state in receiving an abortion or other reproductive healthcare services in our states, solely on that basis; and

* Defend and protect licensed medical professionals in continuing to provide reproductive healthcare, in compliance with state and federal law, including by supporting legislative and executive actions to protect licensed medical professionals from adverse actions by licensing boards and liability insurers solely because the professionals provided reproductive healthcare services in our states consistent with state and federal law and standards of care, when the claims are based on laws in other states that are hostile to abortion rights and are contrary to the public policy of our states; and

* Promote greater access to abortion care services, including by expanding access to medication abortion, removing barriers to telehealth for reproductive healthcare services, and growing the pool of qualified practitioners who may provide abortion and other reproductive healthcare services; and

* Defend against false and misleading reproductive healthcare information.

This commitment was made and issued jointly by the undersigned on this 24th day of June 2022.

Source