Tag Archives: Abortion Access

Voices

OPINION | What The Latest Mifepristone Ruling Really Means

by Megan Burbank

On Wednesday, Aug. 16, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Food and Drug Administration should revoke its approval for mifepristone, one of two drugs commonly used in medication abortions. The case has drawn widespread attention, given the impact it could have on access to mifepristone and spurred confusion about whether medication abortion is still available.

It is. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s important to be clear on this point: Mifepristone remains legal and accessible in states where abortion is, and will remain that way until the case makes its way to the Supreme Court. If you take away just one piece of information from this column, that should be it. But if you want to know more, let’s dig in.

Continue reading OPINION | What The Latest Mifepristone Ruling Really Means →
Features

OB-GYNs Say Dobbs Has Harmed Their Capacity to Provide Care and Deepened Health Disparities

by Megan Burbank

Last summer, when the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the right to an abortion through Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, speculation swirled as to how the decision would impact abortion access. But it was difficult to capture meaningful data in the immediate aftermath: Abortion rates shift seasonally, and they were already on the rise in states like Washington in the years before Dobbs, largely because of restrictive abortion laws that have propagated throughout conservative-controlled state legislatures since Roe v. Wade was first decided.

Now, emerging data on the fallout from Dobbs is getting clearer: What was already a national crisis in maternal health among Americans has been catalyzed by the loss of Roe, according to physicians responsible for providing pregnancy care across the country, both in states with abortion bans and broader access to care. From March 17 to May 18, health policy organization KFF surveyed 569 obstetrician-gynecologists about their experiences after Dobbs and released the results of its national survey on June 21. Here are the major takeaways from the report — and what they could mean for the Pacific Northwest.

Continue reading OB-GYNs Say Dobbs Has Harmed Their Capacity to Provide Care and Deepened Health Disparities →
Voices

OPINION | In Recent Years, Washington Expanded Abortion Access. Now We Know How Important That Is

by Megan Burbank

Even before the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision leaked a year ago, Washington State lawmakers established new and strengthened protections for abortion access, shielding providers and patients from prosecution and protecting private health information not covered under HIPAA. Though the impact of Dobbs will likely not be fully understood for years or even decades, recent developments nationwide show how critical Washington’s protective policies are.

Continue reading OPINION | In Recent Years, Washington Expanded Abortion Access. Now We Know How Important That Is →
Voices

OPINION | ‘Could She or I Go to Jail for This?’ Abortion Bans Result in Substandard Care That Threatens Patients’ Lives

by Megan Burbank

In April, northern Idaho’s Valor Health Hospital announced it would be closing its labor and delivery unit. It was the second Idaho hospital in as many months to stop delivering babies: Bonner Health had made headlines when it did the same thing in April, citing the state’s political situation as a contributing factor. Idaho is home to some of the country’s most draconian abortion laws, and the state’s long-running hostility toward abortion means patients from Idaho often relied on Eastern Washington abortion providers since long before Roe’s reversal.

Continue reading OPINION | ‘Could She or I Go to Jail for This?’ Abortion Bans Result in Substandard Care That Threatens Patients’ Lives →
Voices

OPINION | The Legislative Session Is Over. Here’s How Washington Lawmakers Strengthened Abortion Rights

by Megan Burbank

The reversal of Roe v. Wade last summer catalyzed major electoral wins for Democrats nationwide and brought a slate of bills protecting abortion access to the Washington State Legislature. But at the time, it wasn’t clear the momentum would last — or translate to meaningful, sustainable change. Now that this year’s legislative session has wrapped, with Gov. Jay Inslee signing off on a slate of new protections for reproductive health, we have a better idea of what’s in store. Here are the policies that made it to the governor’s desk and what they mean for the future of abortion rights and gender-affirming care in the Northwest.

Continue reading OPINION | The Legislative Session Is Over. Here’s How Washington Lawmakers Strengthened Abortion Rights →
News

New Study Shows Medicaid Coverage for Abortion Increases Health Equity and Reduces Reliance on Abortion Funds

by Megan Burbank

In 1991, a Washington State voter initiative established the law that would go on to keep abortion legal locally after Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer. Initiative 120’s drafters had a U.S. Supreme Court like the one currently in power in mind when putting together their initiative, and when Roe was overturned, Initiative 120 kicked in just as it had been intended to, upholding abortion access for Washingtonians.

Continue reading New Study Shows Medicaid Coverage for Abortion Increases Health Equity and Reduces Reliance on Abortion Funds →
News

NEWS GLEAMS | Washington State Shield Law Helps Protect Reproductive, Gender-Affirming Health Care

A roundup of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS | Washington State Shield Law Helps Protect Reproductive, Gender-Affirming Health Care →
Community

The Emerald Guide to Reproductive Health Care Access at King County Hospitals

by Megan Burbank

While Roe v. Wade has dominated headlines, abortion access was eroding in Washington State long before the U.S. Supreme Court decision. That’s because of the proliferation of mergers between secular and religiously-affiliated hospital systems in our state. When these mergers go through, reproductive health care services are often lost in the process, a result of hospital policies rooted in religion. Catholic hospitals, for example, abide by a set of ethical-religious directives for health care established by bishops; about half of Washington State hospital beds are in institutions that abide by these policies. They ban abortion, can disrupt services like miscarriage management, treatment for ectopic pregnancies, end-of-life care, and gender-affirming care, and raise questions about access to birth control services and procedures.

Continue reading The Emerald Guide to Reproductive Health Care Access at King County Hospitals →
News

After a Key Legislative Cutoff, Bills Protecting Washington Abortion Providers and Patients Are Still in Play

by Megan Burbank

Last spring, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade leaked, Washington lawmakers gathered in Seattle’s Kerry Park and promised a future of legislative remedies to ensure continued abortion access in the state. In this year’s legislative session, several were introduced, with new protections for providers and patients.

Continue reading After a Key Legislative Cutoff, Bills Protecting Washington Abortion Providers and Patients Are Still in Play →
Community

The Emerald Guide to Abortion Access In and Around Seattle

2 Comments

Updated for 2023 by Megan Burbank
Previous reporting from Jessie McKenna and Marti McKenna

Between the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health and anti-abortion restrictions that preceded it, it’s a challenging time to be a person seeking abortion care. But Washington diverged from national trends toward anti-abortion legislation before Roe was overturned, and more policies are on the table for 2023 to preserve access to reproductive health care in our state. Here, the right to an abortion is part of our state’s legal code, coverage for abortion is available whether you’re on state Medicaid or private insurance, and new policies are slated to be introduced at the state legislature this session that would prohibit copays for abortion, protect patients’ data privacy, and shield abortion providers from out-of-state lawsuits. But that doesn’t mean timely access to abortion in Washington is guaranteed. In fact, as other states move to ban and restrict abortion in the wake of Roe’s reversal, the added strain on Northwest providers means patients here may encounter delays in care.

Continue reading The Emerald Guide to Abortion Access In and Around Seattle →