The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to rule on a case that resulted in the effective overturning of abortion protections from Roe v. Wade has elicited a range of responses from local lawmakers.
On June 24, the court ruled 6-3 on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case, effectively undoing what was determined in 1973’s Roe v. Wade. That case established a constitutional right to abortions during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.
Following the ruling, Washington State Rep. Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, said she was pleased to see the prior court decision overturned.
“This is a decision that has been long overdue in our nation,” Kraft said in a statement following the decision.
Described as “a strong pro-life advocate” in the statement, Kraft pointed to her support of bills which did not make it out of committee that aimed to restrict
abortion in Washington in past sessions.
“As a result of the court ruling, I hope we see our state move in a similar direction,” Kraft said.
In his own response, Washington Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, noted the supreme court decision will not affect abortion access in the state which has laws protecting the procedure.
“However, better support for pregnant women who choose to give birth should be a common goal for all of us, regardless of our politics,” Braun said in a statement. “Compassion and empathy, rather than hostility, should be the universal approach. I’m hoping this is how we all move forward.”
Democratic Vancouver state Sen. Annette Cleveland said she was “appalled to see the Court reverse 50 years of legal precedents that protect the right to choose.”
“The right to an abortion has been settled law for generations,” Cleveland said in her statement.
She said her grandmother told her how monumental the Roe V. Wade ruling was at the time it happened.
“I made a promise to her then to protect that right for the next generations, and yet today, my grown daughter is facing a country without choice,” Cleveland said.
Cleveland pointed to action taken by the Legislature this year in House Bill 1851 which codified abortion protections into state law.
“The high court’s radical reversal of 50 years of existing law is a valuable reminder that our state can, and must, pass laws to protect Washingtonians’ rights from those who would discard legal precedent and recast our laws to satisfy ideological agendas,” Cleveland said.
