Abortion rights rally at WA Capitol Wednesday marks 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Reproductive rights advocates took to the steps of the Legislative Building in Olympia Jan. 22 to rally for abortion access.
Jan. 22 marked the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that enshrined abortion as a federal constitutional right. In June 2022, the high court reversed the 1973 ruling.
Today a dozen states have enacted total bans on abortion.
Pro-Choice Washington hosted the abortion-access rally, attended by activists, reproductive-rights supporters and state lawmakers. The event also touched on health-care issues such as safeguarding gender-affirming care.
Sami Alloy, Pro-Choice Washington’s interim executive director, told attendees that she shared their grief, anxiety and rage about the return of President Donald Trump, whose second term began Jan. 20. She said that democracy’s limits are being tested with Trump back in the White House.
“It’s scary and it’s demoralizing, but we are not going back,” Alloy said. “We are here today to affirm that we have the fundamental rights to access abortion care and gender-affirming care in Washington state, and we are not going to let them take that away from us.”
Democratic state lawmakers, including Rep. Monica Stonier of Vancouver and Sen. Manka Dhingra of Redmond, also delivered remarks.
Dhingra said she sponsored a bill that would ensure that those who have lost a pregnancy will not be criminalized. Senate Bill 5093 would repeal the state crime of concealing a birth and remove the jurisdiction of medical examiners and county coroners to probe deaths related to known or suspected abortions, stillbirths or premature births.
Women of color are more likely to have miscarriages, stillbirths and neonatal deaths, Dhingra said. They are also likelier to be criminalized.
“When someone loses their pregnancy, they should be processing grief and getting the support they need,” she said. “They should not have to worry about police becoming involved.”
Sarah Dixit, organizing director for Pro-Choice Washington, told McClatchy that many residents have felt relieved to live in this state since Roe was overturned. Washington might enjoy robust reproductive protections, but other states’ abortion bans can have effects elsewhere.
“The impact trickles out, and so we see increased patient wait times here, provider burnout and just a whole lot more logistical issues,” Dixit said. “So I think it’s reminding people that yes, we got here through a lot of organizing and movement-building, and making sure we have great lawmakers who are going to stand by abortion access — but we can’t be complacent.”
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins told McClatchy that the people of Washington have supported the right to choose since before Roe v. Wade. Abortions have been legal in the state since 1970.
The Tacoma Democrat noted that Washington has jumped into action following the erosion of abortion rights. It’s getting harder to find spots where the federal government could intervene, she said. Case in point: Washington was among the first states to pass a so-called shield law, aimed at protecting people from other states who come here for reproductive or gender-affirming care.
Jinkins said her caucus is closely aligned with Washington Attorney General Nick Brown. She said the new AG called her on Jan. 20 to discuss the lawsuit targeting Trump’s executive order that seeks to halt birthright citizenship.
“We’re going to have a small team of people here in the House Democratic Caucus be in regular touch with his staff to see if they have other recommendations on policy that we might think about,” Jinkins said. “So we’ll be working really closely with him.”
Washington officials also voiced their support for reproductive rights on social media. U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal commemorated the anniversary of Roe on X (formerly Twitter).
“As one of the 1 in 4 women in this country who has had an abortion, I will never stop fighting for our right to make our own decisions about our bodies,” the Washington Democrat wrote.
Gov. Bob Ferguson posted a video to X that was taken during the People’s March in Seattle Jan. 18; the event stemmed from the 2017 Women’s March in response to Trump’s first term.
During Ferguson’s time as the state’s attorney general, his office challenged the Trump administration nearly 100 times. Ferguson told march-goers on Jan. 18 that he’d seek to protect Washingtonians’ freedom as governor.
“My job is different than it was the last time Donald Trump was president,” he said. “But I can assure you, if this administration engages in any action that violates the law, that exceeds his authority and harms your rights or the people of the state or our environment, I will stand up and we will stop him again.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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