Abortion in Washington (state)

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Abortion in Washington is legal and available up to the point of fetal viability, or in case the pregnancy poses a risk to life or health. [1] [2] In a 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center, 60% of adults said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 73% of Washingtonians said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. [3]

Contents

Washington currently has nineteen abortion clinics. The number of clinics has declined over the years, with 95 in 1982, 65 in 1992, and 33 in 2014. There were 17,710 legal abortions performed in the state in 2014, and 17,098 in 2015.

History

Legislative history

By 1950, the state legislature passed a law stating that a woman who had an abortion or actively sought to have an abortion, regardless of whether she went through with it, was guilty of a criminal offense. [4]

Abortion was made legal in 1970. Prior to that, it was illegal in the state, with a therapeutic exception if the life of the mother was at risk. [5] In 1971, the state repealed its statute that said inducing an abortion was a criminal offense. [6] [7] Hawaii, New York, Alaska, and Washington were the first states to repeal their abortion laws in the pre- Roe v. Wade era. [8] Still, state law in 1971 required that any woman getting a legal abortion in the state needed to be a resident for some specific period between 30 and 90 days. [7]

As of 2017, Washington State, New Mexico, Illinois, Alaska, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey allow certain qualified non-physicians to prescribe drugs for medical abortions only. [9] In August 2018, the state had a law to protect the right to have an abortion. [10] In February 2019, the Washington State Attorney General issued an opinion that the physician-only clause of Washington State abortion law (I-120) was unenforceable, and that aspiration and medication abortion prior to viability was within the scope of nurse practitioners and physician assistants. [11] As of 2024, the state prohibits abortions after the fetus is viable, generally some point between week 24 and 28, unless the pregnancy poses a risk to life or health. [1] [2] This period uses a standard defined by the US Supreme Court in 1973 with the Roe v. Wade ruling. [12] [13]

Ballot box history

In November 1970, Washington held a referendum on legalizing early pregnancy abortions, becoming the first state to legalize abortion through a vote of the people. [14] [7] In 1991, a ballot box measure passed that made abortion legal up to the point where a fetus was viable. [13] [15]

Clinic history

Between 1982 and 1992, the number of abortion clinics in the state declined by thirty, going from 95 in 1982 to 65 in 1992. [16] In 2014, there were 33 abortion clinics in the state. [17] In 2014, 64% of the counties in the state did not have an abortion clinic. That year, 15% of women in the state aged 15–44 lived in a county without an abortion clinic. [10] In March 2016, there were 35 Planned Parenthood clinics in the state. [18] In 2017, there were 34 Planned Parenthood clinics, of which 26 offered abortion services, in a state with a population of 1,645,293 women aged 15–49. [19]

On June 11, 2001, an unsolved bombing took place at a clinic in Tacoma, Washington, destroying a wall and resulting in $6,000 in damages. [20] On September 4, 2015, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Pullman, Washington, was intentionally set on fire. No injuries were reported due to the time of day, but the FBI was involved because of a history of domestic terrorism against the clinic. [21] The crime was never solved. The clinic reopened six months later. [22]

Statistics

In 1990, 606,000 women in the state faced the risk of an unintended pregnancy. [16] In 2014, 60% of adults said in a poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. [23] In 2017, the state had an infant mortality rate of 3.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. [24]

Number of reported abortions, abortion rate, and percentage change in rate by geographic region and state in 1992, 1995 and 1996 [25]
Census division and stateNumberRate % change 1992–1996
199219951996199219951996
US total1,528,9301,363,6901,365,73025.922.922.9–12
Pacific368,040290,520288,19038.730.530.1–22
Alaska2,3701,9902,04016.514.214.6–11
California304,230240,240237,83042.133.433–22
Hawaii12,1907,5106,9304629.327.3–41
Oregon16,06015,59015,05023.922.621.6–10
Washington33,19025,19026,34027.720.220.9–24
Number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions, by reporting area of residence and occurrence and by percentage of abortions obtained by out-of-state residents, US CDC estimates
LocationResidenceOccurrence% obtained by

out-of-state residents

YearRef
No.Rate^Ratio^^No.Rate^Ratio^^
Washington17,58312.619817,71012.72004.92014 [26]
Washington17,23012.219417,09812.11924.52015 [27]
Washington17,14011.918917,08011.91893.82016 [28]
^number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44; ^^number of abortions per 1,000 live births

Abortion financing

Seventeen states including Washington use their own funds to cover all or most "medically necessary" abortions sought by low-income women under Medicaid, thirteen of which are required by State court orders to do so. [29] In 2010, the state had 14,236 publicly funded abortions, of which were zero federally funded and 14,236 were state funded. [30]

Abortion rights views and activities

2018 Indivisible demonstration in Olympia regarding Brett Kavanaugh 2018--Indivisible demonstration in Olympia regarding Brett Kavanaugh (44237332092).jpg
2018 Indivisible demonstration in Olympia regarding Brett Kavanaugh

Women from the state participated in marches supporting abortion rights as part of a #StoptheBans movement in May 2019. [31]

Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, thousands of abortion rights protesters protested in Spokane, [32] Westland Park and Downtown Seattle. [33]

On November 8 and 9, 2024, hundreds attended anti-Trump rallies in Seattle and Portland, Oregon. [34]

Anti-abortion views and activities

Seattle Women's March 2019 Seattle Women's March 2019 (45892263455).jpg
Seattle Women's March 2019

Violence

Two documented arson attacks on abortion clinics took place in 1983 including one in Washington. Between this attack and one in Virginia, over US$500,000 in damage was done to the two clinics. [35]

On June 11, 2001, an unsolved bombing at a clinic in Tacoma, Washington, destroyed a wall, resulting in $6,000 in damages. [36]

On January 9, 2005, Eastside Women's Clinic in Olympia, Washington sustained $500,000 damage in an arson. [37]

On September 4, 2015, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Pullman, Washington was intentionally set on fire. No injuries were reported due to the time of day, but the FBI was involved because of a history of domestic terrorism against the clinic. [38] The crime was never solved. The clinic reopened six months later. [39]

Related Research Articles

Abortion in Alaska is legal at all stages of pregnancy. In September 2024, an Alaska superior court judge struck down the requirement that only licensed physicians provide abortions, meaning that the procedure can now also be legally performed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. As of 2016, Alaska does not require a minor to notify a parent or guardian in order to obtain an abortion. 63% of adults said in a poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 69% of Alaskans said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Alaska was one of only four states to make abortion legal between 1967 and 1970, a few years before the US Supreme Court's decision in 1973's Roe v. Wade ruling. Alaska had consent requirements for women seeking abortions by 2007 that required abortion providers to warn patients of a link between abortion and breast cancer, despite it being scientifically unsupported.

Abortion in Arkansas is illegal except when it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant individual. Doctors determined to have performed an abortion face up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $100,000.

Abortion in Connecticut is legal up to the point of fetal viability, or after that if necessary to preserve the life or health of the pregnant individual. A poll by the Pew Research Center found that 67 percent of adults in the state believed that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 72% of people from Connecticut said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Abortion in Delaware is legal up to the point of fetal viability. As of June 2024, Civiqs polling found that 72% of Delawareans believed that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 23% believed it should be illegal in all or most cases. There was a therapeutic exceptions in the state's legislative ban on abortions by 1900. Informed consent laws were on the books by 2007. In 2017, Senator Bryan Townsend, D-Newark introduced legislation to try to make clear that abortion would remain legal in the state in case 1973's Roe v. Wade ruling was overturned. The legislation was subsequently updated. Attempts have been made to introduce mandatory ultrasound laws, but they failed to get out of committee. State legislators tried to move ahead the week at which a woman could get a legal abortion in 2019.

Abortion in the District of Columbia is legal at all stages of pregnancy. In 1971, in United States v. Vuitch, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law saying abortion was allowed for health reasons, which include "psychological and physical well-being". Consequently, the District of Columbia became a destination for women seeking abortions starting that year.

Abortion in Hawaii is legal. 66% of adults in Hawaii said in a 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 79% of people from Hawaii said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Hawaii began allowing abortion care de jure in 1970, the first state to do so. State law enacted at that time stated said, "the State shall not deny or interfere with a female's right to choose or obtain an abortion of a nonviable fetus or an abortion that is necessary to protect the life or health of the female."

Abortion in Idaho is illegal from fertilization. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, abortion in Idaho was criminalized by the trigger law which states that a person who performs an abortion may face two to five years of imprisonment. The ban allows exceptions for maternal health, rape and incest within the first trimester. The law took effect on August 25, 2022.

Abortion in Maine is legal, although terminations after fetal viability can only be performed if a physician determines it to be medically necessary. According to a poll by the Pew Research Center, 64% of adults said that abortion should be legal, with 33% stating that it should be illegal in all or most cases.

Abortion in Minnesota is legal at all stages of pregnancy and is restricted only to standards of good medical practice. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled the Minnesota Constitution conferred a right to an abortion in 1995 and the DFL-led Minnesota Legislature passed and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law a bill in 2023 to recognize a right to reproductive freedom and preventing local units of government from limiting that right. The Center for Reproductive Rights labels Minnesota as one of the most abortion-protective states in the country.

Abortion in Montana is legal at most stages of pregnancy. The number of abortion clinics in Montana has fluctuated over the years, with twenty in 1982, twelve in 1992, eight providers of which seven were clinics in 2011, and five clinics in 2014. There were four clinics from 2015 to February 2018 when All Families Healthcare clinic in Whitefish reopened. There were 1,690 legal abortions in 2014, and 1,611 in 2015.

Abortion in Nevada is legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy, under the Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 442, section 250; and after 24 weeks if the pregnancy could be fatal for the mother. 62% of adults said in a 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal while 34% said it should by illegal in all or most cases. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 76% of Nevadans said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Legislation by 2007 required informed consent. Attempts were successfully made to pass abortion legislation in May 2019, being pushed through a largely Democratic controlled state legislature. The number of abortion clinics in Nevada has declined over the years, with 25 in 1982, seventeen in 1992 and thirteen in 2014. There were 8,132 legal abortions in 2014, and 7,116 in 2015. Due to the high level of support for abortion rights in the state, continued access to abortion is supported by all parties, including the Republicans.

Abortion in Oregon is legal at all stages of pregnancy. The Center for Reproductive Rights classifies Oregon as highly protective of abortion rights.

Abortion in Rhode Island is legal up to the point of fetal viability. On June 19, 2019, the legal right to abortion was codified into Rhode Island law by passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act.

Abortion in Tennessee is illegal from fertilization and provides no exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the pregnant individual. Tennessee's abortion legislation provides no explicit exceptions for the pregnant patient’s health. It makes an exception for an “affirmative defense” for emergencies, but the vagueness of what constitutes an emergency means that physicians hesitate to provide abortions even when the pregnant individual's life is in jeopardy. Attempts to codify the exceptions into law have been rejected by Republican politicians in Tennesse. Tennessee is among the four states which forbid abortion access through their state constitution; alongside Alabama, Louisiana, and West Virginia.

Abortion in Vermont is legal at all stages of pregnancy. A 2014 Pew Research Center poll showed 70% of adults in the state believed abortion should be legal in most or all cases, the second highest percentage in the country. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 76% of Vermonters said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The state funds abortions deemed medically necessary for low-income women via Medicaid.

Abortion in the U.S. state of Virginia is legal up to the end of the second trimester of a pregnancy. Before the year 1900, abortion remained largely illegal in Virginia, reflecting a widespread trend in many U.S. states during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Abortion was viewed as a criminal act and subject to state laws that prohibited it. However, by 1950, Virginia introduced a legal therapeutic exception, allowing for abortion under specific circumstances, primarily when a woman's physical or mental health was at risk. Notably, the University of Virginia Hospital established a review board in 1950 responsible for evaluating and approving abortion requests, particularly those grounded in psychiatric reasons. This thorough approval process resulted in a significant decrease in the number of abortions performed at the hospital.

Abortion in West Virginia is illegal except in cases of rape or incest, fatal fetal abnormalities, and when the mother’s life is at risk from a pregnancy.

Abortion in Wisconsin has been legal since September 18, 2023, and is performed in Madison, Milwaukee and Sheboygan through 22 weeks gestation. However, elective abortions in Wisconsin are under dispute after the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court of the United States on June 24, 2022. Abortion opponents cite an 1849 law that they claim bans the procedure in all cases except when the life of the mother is in danger. However, lower level courts have argued that the law only applies to infanticide and not consensual abortions. The enforceability of the law is disputed and being considered by the state courts. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin announced that they would resume abortion services in Madison and Milwaukee on September 18, 2023. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin later announced that they would resume abortion services in Sheboygan on December 28, 2023.

Abortion in New Mexico is legal at all stages of pregnancy. The number of abortion clinics in New Mexico has declined over the years, with 26 in 1982, 20 in 1992 and 11 in 2014. There were 4,500 legal abortions in 2014. There were 7 facilities providing abortion in New Mexico in 2017, and 6 of those were clinics. In 2017, 91% of New Mexico counties had no clinics that provided abortions, and 48% of New Mexico women lived in those counties.

Abortion in Wyoming is currently legal due to a temporary court injunction.

References

  1. 1 2 "RCW 9.02.110: Right to have and provide". app.leg.wa.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  2. 1 2 "RCW 9.02.120: Unauthorized abortions—Penalty". app.leg.wa.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  3. ↑ "Abortion Views in All 50 States: Findings from PRRI's 2023 American Values Atlas | PRRI". PRRI | At the intersection of religion, values, and public life. 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  4. ↑ Buell, Samuel (1991-01-01). "Criminal Abortion Revisited". New York University Law Review. 66 (6): 1774–1831. PMID   11652642.
  5. ↑ "When Abortion was Illegal (and Deadly): Seattle's Maternal Death Toll - Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project". depts.washington.edu. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  6. ↑ Reagan, Leslie J. (1998-09-21). When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867–1973 . University of California Press. ISBN   9780520216570.
  7. 1 2 3 Tyler, C. W. (1983). "The public health implications of abortion". Annual Review of Public Health. 4: 223–258. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pu.04.050183.001255 . ISSN   0163-7525. PMID   6860439.
  8. ↑ "Medicine: Abortion on Request". Time . March 9, 1970. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved 2012-10-15.(subscription required)
  9. ↑ "Study: Abortions Are Safe When Performed By Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Certified Nurse Midwives". 17 January 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  10. 1 2 Panetta, Grace; lee, Samantha (2018-08-04). "This is what could happen if Roe v. Wade fell". Business Insider (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  11. ↑ "Authority of Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants to Perform Pre-Viability Aspiration Abortions". Attorney General of Washington State. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  12. ↑ Lai, K. K. Rebecca (2019-05-15). "Abortion Bans: 8 States Have Passed Bills to Limit the Procedure This Year". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  13. 1 2 "Are there *any* states working to protect abortion rights?". Well+Good. 2019-05-17. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Abortion Reform in Washington State - HistoryLink.org". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  15. ↑ "How Washington state made its abortion laws Trump-proof". The Seattle Times. 2018-08-15. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  16. 1 2 Arndorfer, Elizabeth; Michael, Jodi; Moskowitz, Laura; Grant, Juli A.; Siebel, Liza (December 1998). A State-By-State Review of Abortion and Reproductive Rights. Diane Publishing. ISBN   9780788174810.
  17. ↑ Gould, Rebecca Harrington, Skye. "The number of abortion clinics in the US has plunged in the last decade — here's how many are in each state". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ Bohatch, Emily. "27 states with the most Planned Parenthood clinics". thestate. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  19. ↑ "Here's Where Women Have Less Access to Planned Parenthood" . Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  20. ↑ "Blast Damages Clinic Used for Abortions". The New York Times. 2001-06-12. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  21. ↑ Rachel Alexander & Chad Sokol (September 4, 2015). "Planned Parenthood fire determined to be arson". Spokesman-Review.
  22. ↑ Joel Connelly, Planned Parenthood clinic in Pullman reopens six months after arson attack, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (February 5, 2016).
  23. ↑ "Views about abortion by state - Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  24. ↑ "States pushing abortion bans have highest infant mortality rates". NBC News. 24 May 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  25. ↑ Henshaw, Stanley K. (2005-06-15). "Abortion Incidence and Services in the United States, 1995-1996". Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 30: 263–270. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  26. ↑ Jatlaoui, Tara C. (2017). "Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2014". MMWR. Surveillance Summaries. 66 (24): 1–48. doi:10.15585/mmwr.ss6624a1. ISSN   1546-0738. PMC   6289084 . PMID   29166366.
  27. ↑ Jatlaoui, Tara C. (2018). "Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2015". MMWR. Surveillance Summaries. 67 (13): 1–45. doi:10.15585/mmwr.ss6713a1. ISSN   1546-0738. PMC   6289084 . PMID   30462632.
  28. ↑ Jatlaoui, Tara C. (2019). "Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2016". MMWR. Surveillance Summaries. 68 (11): 1–41. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.ss6811a1 . ISSN   1546-0738. PMC   6289084 . PMID   31774741.
  29. ↑ Francis Roberta W. "Frequently Asked Questions". Equal Rights Amendment. Alice Paul Institute. Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  30. ↑ "Guttmacher Data Center". data.guttmacher.org. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  31. ↑ Bacon, John. "Abortion rights supporters' voices thunder at #StopTheBans rallies across the nation". USA Today. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  32. ↑ Robinson, Erin (July 25, 2022). "Abortion rights activists protest outside Spokane City Hall". KXLY.com.
  33. ↑ Charles, Alfred (June 25, 2022). "Protesters take to the streets in Seattle and elsewhere after historic abortion ruling". KOMO News.
  34. ↑ "Anti-Trump protests erupt across US from New York City to Seattle". The Guardian. November 9, 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  35. ↑ Jacobson, Mireille; Royer, Heather (December 2010). "Aftershocks: The Impact of Clinic Violence on Abortion Services". American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. 3: 189–223. doi:10.1257/app.3.1.189.
  36. ↑ "Blast Damages Clinic Used for Abortions". The New York Times. June 12, 2001. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Abortion clinic fire in Olympia ruled arson". SeattlePI. January 10, 2005.
  38. ↑ Rachel Alexander & Chad Sokol (September 4, 2015). "Planned Parenthood fire determined to be arson". Spokesman-Review.
  39. ↑ Joel Connelly, Planned Parenthood clinic in Pullman reopens six months after arson attack, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (February 5, 2016).
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