Mary Le Nguyen stood in front of a group of 70 abortion-rights activists on the Capitol steps for a reproductive freedom rally in early January and shared her story of surviving sexual abuse.
“This is not about power shifting from here to here. I want people to like us to have the power,” Nguyen said, as she protested with Pro-Choice Washington. “I want us all to be more powerful, but that means we need to slow down together and see that reproductive justice is more than just about abortions.”
This legislative session marks the first since Roe v. Wade was overturned and House Democrats say they want to pass a number of bills protecting abortion rights.
One bill will need voter approval. Senate Joint Bill 8202, sponsored by state senator Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines) proposes amending the state Constitution to guarantee an individual’s right to have an abortion or choose contraception. For the bill to move forward, it needs a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate before being placed on a statewide ballot for approval.
“We need to face the potential consequence of not having a constitutional guarantee for reproductive freedom,” Keiser said.
Governor Jay Inslee attended his first bill hearing of the legislative session in support of SJR 8202.
“A woman’s right of choice is so fundamental. In the most intimate decision of her life, it cannot be left to the whims of who happens to sit on the bench or who happens to sit in the legislature,” Inslee said.
State senator Patty Kuderer (D-Bellevue) a cosponsor of SJR 8202, also spoke in favor of passage.
“There’s been a call to restore reproductive justice across this country from all age groups, from young people who are most impacted, to working parents and to the older population who marched and sacrificed to earn the right to choose,” Kuderer said.
State Attorney General Bob Ferguson and other Washington lawmakers, including House Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma), state senator Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma), state representative. Sharlett Mena (D-Tacoma), state representative Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), and state representative Darya Farivar (D-Seattle) and state senator. Emily Randall (D-Bremerton) joined protestors at their early January rally and delivered speeches on the abortion rights bills they are planning to pass this legislative session.
While Democrats seem mostly united in support of the measures, a large number of people across the state signed up to oppose the measure at its public hearing. For online testimony, 309 people signed on in favor, and 608 signed on in opposition.
“I gave birth to a beautiful daughter who is now 27 years old. I can’t imagine this world without my daughter, and I do not live with the regret of ending a life,” said Julie Barrett, president of Conservative Ladies of Washington.
A group of 15 anti-abortion activists countered the reproductive freedom rally in early January across the street. They wore bright red T-shirts and held signs that showed photos of 10-week-old fetuses. “Am I human?” some of the signs asked.
Many people at the hearing and protest said they were shocked when Roe v. Wade was overturned.
“Reproductive freedom is not just about abortion,” said Vicki Lowe, from American Indian Health Commission for Washington State. “This is not a decision to be made by the government. I never thought to think my children and grandchildren would have fewer rights than I did. Reproductive freedom is about choosing what happens to our bodies.”
The Washington State Journal is a non-profit news website funded by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation. Learn more at wastatejournal.org.
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