Capitol Hill Seattle: Seattle mayor signs suite of abortion protection legislation into law

Mayor Bruce Harrell signed four new bills into law Monday to protect abortion access in — and beyond — Seattle.

“After the Supreme Court’s dangerous Dobbs decision, we must use every tool available to protect the fundamental rights of privacy and autonomy,” Harrell said in a statement on the signing ceremony. “These bills ensure abortion and reproductive healthcare remain safe and legal in Seattle for all who seek it.”

The bills signed Monday include legislation from District 3’s Kshama Sawant directing the Seattle Police Department and the City Attorney Ann Davison “to refrain from cooperating with out-of-state law enforcement agencies or other entities about abortion-related matters,” according to a statement from the council.

Another adds people who have received or are seeking abortions as a protected class in Seattle, ensuring their civil rights protections while the other creates a misdemeanor charge for people who “encroach on individuals seeking abortions or gender-affirming care.”

CB 120374 adds people who have received or are seeking abortions as a protected class, ensuring their civil rights’ protections.CB 120376 creates a misdemeanor charge for people who encroach on individuals seeking abortions or gender affirming care.CB 120375 establishes Seattle as a sanctuary city for those seeking abortion care and prevents pursuit of out-of-state warrants related to abortions by Seattle Police.CB 120366 appropriates $250,000 of city funds to fund expanded access to reproductive healthcare by making an investment in Northwest Abortion Access Fund.

Harrell was joined at the signing by Councilmember Lisa Herbold and Councilmember Tammy Morales, who sponsored two of the measures, and reproductive healthcare advocates and providers.

“The fight to ensure access to safe and unbiased healthcare for pregnant people will continue. The overturn of Roe is the Big One – the earthquake we’ve always known was coming,” Herbold said. “There will be more emerging needs as the expected four-fold increase in medical refugees hit our state, and as opponents of reproductive justice attempt to find ways to stop pregnant people from getting the healthcare they deserve.”

The city is also maintaining a new Protecting Abortion Access in Seattle page to keep track of legislative updates and to link to resources. It includes statistics documenting the scale of need for the health service — there were more than 16,000 abortions reported in Washington in 2020 — and the challenges people here may face including around 10% of women living in a Washington county without an abortion provider, according to a 2017 report.

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