<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1656092352624,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-bf0e-d1c5-a37d-bf5fe4a70000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1656092352624,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-bf0e-d1c5-a37d-bf5fe4a70000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_56082225", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1039680"} }); ","_id":"00000181-96cb-d789-a3f7-9fefcd6b0000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedThe Democratic governors of California, Oregon, and Washington proclaimed the West Coast of the United States a “safe haven” for abortion following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced the launch of a “Multi-State Commitment to Reproductive Freedom” as red states across the country have trigger laws on the books set to outright ban abortion in their states following the court’s move to overturn the landmark 1973 case.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear — they want to strip women of their liberty and let Republican states replace it with mandated birth because the right to choose an abortion is not ‘deeply rooted in history,'” Newsom said in a statement. “California has banded together with Oregon and Washington to stand up for women, and to protect access to reproductive health care.”
SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS ROE V. WADE, PAVING WAY FOR STATE ABORTION BANS
The three governors said in a video message Friday that their states will hamper any efforts from states where abortion is outlawed who try to go after their citizens for traveling to the West Coast to obtain an abortion.
“California, Oregon, and Washington are building the West Coast offense to protect patients’ access to reproductive care,” Newsome said in a video released Friday announcing the pact.
New York Attorney General Letitia James also said her state would be a “safe haven” for anyone from “hostile states” seeking to obtain an abortion.
“Regardless of the situation at the national level, New York will always be a safe haven for anyone seeking an abortion,” James said in a statement. “I will work tirelessly to ensure that low-income New Yorkers and people from hostile states have access to the care they need and deserve.”
Colorado, which codified the right to an abortion at any point during pregnancy into law in April, is expected to see an uptick in people seeking abortions who live in neighboring states that are set to outlaw the procedure, Colorado Public Radio reported.
“We will continue to choose freedom, stand against government control over our bodies, and will not retreat to an archaic era where the powerful few controlled the freedoms over our bodies and health decisions,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tweeted Friday.
President Joe Biden said in an address to the nation Friday that women are free to cross state lines to obtain an abortion after the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“If a woman lives in a state that restricts abortion, the Supreme Court’s decision does not prevent her from traveling from her home state to a state that allows it. It does not prevent a doctor in that state from treating her,” Biden said.
“As [Attorney General Merrick Garland] has made clear, women must remain free to travel safely to another state to seek care they need. My administration will defend that bedrock right,” Biden said. “If any state or local official, high or low, tries to interfere with a women’s basic right to travel, I will do everything in my power to fight that deeply un-American attack.”
Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday that he was calling a special legislative session, in part so state lawmakers could debate measures that would make it easier for out-of-state residents to receive abortions in Illinois.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Privacy rights are being eviscerated right before our very eyes,” Pritzker said. “If they can take away your ability to control your own body, there’s not much that stops them from making marriage equality illegal and taking away employment protections for your beliefs or your orientation.”
“No ifs, ands, or buts about it: We are headed down a dangerous spiral that will erode our democracy,” he added.
