Abortion rights advocates rally as concerns grow over federal restrictions

Roughly 100 abortion rights advocates rallied Wednesday on the steps of the Washington Capitol, calling on state lawmakers to take additional action to protect women’s reproductive rights amid fears the federal government could take steps to restrict the procedure.

The event, organized by Pro-Choice Washington, was held on what would have been the 52nd anniversary of Roe V. Wade, a landmark Supreme Court decision that found women had a constitutionally protected right to an abortion. More than two years after the Supreme Court overturned the ruling, many, including Gov. Bob Ferguson, expressed concern the second Trump administration will push for tighter abortion access.

During an interview Wednesday, Ferguson said he anticipated the federal government taking measures to restrict access to abortion and other reproductive care.

“Yes. Yeah, I would be naïve to think that they wouldn’t take some action, honestly,” Ferguson said. “So, we just have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, and that’s the way we’re approaching it.”

In one of his first acts in office, Ferguson signed an executive order that directed the Department of Health to convene a panel of medical providers, experts and lawmakers to “recommend strategies for protecting reproductive freedom.” Ferguson said Wednesday the group will “give us advice on what we need to do” while helping to “look forward.”

Ferguson said the panel also will look at “what changes to state law can add additional protections in light of a Congress and a president that are hostile to reproductive rights.”

Sami Alloy, interim executive director of Pro-Choice Washington, called on lawmakers to pass legislation “that will affirm Washington’s legal protections and safeguard our rights against a hostile administration that we know will stop at nothing to roll them back.”

“We are calling on the legislature to invest robustly in our clinics and our care infrastructure, because we know a right without access is not really a right,” Alloy said. “And we are here today calling on the Legislature to protect the rights of patients and providers who rely on our state to access care.”

Ferguson’s executive order, Alloy said, will help the state “do everything we can to resist Project 2025 and to safeguard our rights.”

“And I know that together, with our legislators and our attorney general, we’re going to get it done here in Olympia,” Alloy said. “We’re going to make sure that no matter who you are, no matter what part of the state you live in, that we can maintain our rights to abortion and gender-affirming care, that we can stand with immigrants and workers, and that we’re not going back.”

Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, said while lawmakers have strengthened and protected abortion access during recent sessions, more can be done. Dhingra has sponsored legislation that would ensure “people who lose a pregnancy are not criminalized.”

The bill, Dhingra said, is needed after an Ohio woman named Brittany Watts was charged with felony abuse of a corpse after a miscarriage 22 weeks into pregnancy. While the charge was later dropped, Watts has since sued both the hospital and the police department that arrested her.

“I wish I could tell you this was only an isolated incident, but there are cases like this all over the country,” Dhingra said.

While a similar prosecution has not been filed in Washington, Dhingra said her bill would repeal “the Washington state crime of concealing a birth.” Dhingra said there is no evidence the law has been used in the 100 years it has been on the books in Washington, though “other states have used similar laws to justify arrest, punishment and prosecution of people for their pregnancy outcomes.”

“We cannot have laws like this on the books in the state of Washington,” Dhingra said.

The bill was heard in the Senate Law and Justice Committee on Monday and is scheduled for an executive session in the committee Thursday.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 23, 2025 to correct the party of Sen. Manka Dhingra. She is a Democrat.