SEATTLE — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and state Democratic lawmakers revealed details Friday about a push to enact a "shield law" that would protect abortion patients and providers from out-of-state legal action, and announced two more bills in the works designed to ensure to reproductive health care access.
One would indemnify Washington-based corporations helping employees in other states get abortions. Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks have said they will cover abortion-related travel expenses for employees based in locations where a legal provider is unavailable.
Another bill would block hospital and health care organization mergers that would limit services such as abortion. Because of consolidations, 35% of Washington hospital beds are in Catholic-affiliated facilities, according to the Washington State Hospital Association. Many such providers restrict services that end pregnancies, as well as other forms of reproductive health care.
