Inslee statement on SCOTUS failure to pause Texas anti-abortion law

Statement

Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement today in response to the U.S. Supreme Court declining to hear a challenge to an anti-abortion law in Texas that represents one of the most extreme attacks on reproductive rights since the Roe v. Wade ruling.

"Today's lack of leadership from the U.S. Supreme Court will have chilling effects on reproductive rights in this country far beyond Texas. Now that the Supreme Court has allowed Texas' extreme anti-abortion law to stand, it won't be long until many Republican-controlled legislatures in other states use it as a template to deepen disparities in abortion access between states.

"We are fortunate that this has no impact on people seeking an abortion in Washington. We deeply value maintaining strong access to reproductive health and abortion services. We have strengthened our laws around preserving access to reproductive services in recent years, and we will continue to protect people's rights.

"In Texas, this step leads directly to stripping the rights of pregnant people based arbitrarily on where they live -- and even penalizing anyone who assists someone in leaving a state to obtain safe abortion care. This is a health equity issue: the Texas law will have a disproportionate impact on lower income communities. These health care services are critical. This law overreaches by allowing private citizen groups to intervene in other people's medical care.

"The Texas law weaponizes civil suits by activists to enforce this draconian law rather than the state owning its decision. The Supreme Court failed to act to protect the people of Texas, and other states who will soon be subject to similar laws, without the decency of providing an explanation of their inaction.

"Americans have been failed by this series of decisions, and Republicans must be held accountable for them."

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