Governors in 20 states, including WA, form abortion rights alliance
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On Tuesday, the governors of 20 states, including Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced they were banding together to form a Reproductive Freedom Alliance.
The non-partisan coalition is committed to protecting and expanding abortion rights and will work to strengthen reproductive freedom after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, which had guaranteed the right to an abortion for nearly 50 years.
Any governor who supports reproductive freedom is welcome to join the coalition.
“This is an issue of freedom,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “Patients must have the freedom to make personal reproductive care decisions for themselves, without interference by activist politicians. Washington is taking strong action to protect these freedoms for every patient and provider in our state, and we are all in on the fight to protect a person’s right to an abortion across the country.”
The other governors in the alliance are California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Delaware Gov. John Carney, Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee, and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.
Major funding for the alliance is provided by the California Wellness Foundation with additional support from the Rosenberg Foundation, according to a news release.
The alliance released this statement regarding the alliance:
“As governors representing nearly 170 million people across every region of the country, we are standing with all people who believe in reproductive freedom and health care. We are standing with them to say, ‘enough.’
“In the last year alone, over 36 million women have lost access to critical health care with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Medication abortion – one of the safest forms of health care for decades now – may be stripped from our clinics and hospitals nationwide. Doctors face criminal prosecution for providing care. Extremists are trying to restrict access to contraception – and we know they won’t stop there.
“In the face of this unprecedented assault by states hostile to abortion rights and their enablers in the courts, we are pledging to work together to strengthen abortion firewalls across America. This fight isn’t over.”
