Funding fight: WA advocates push to protect abortion access, transgender care in Olympia
Hundreds rally in Olympia, WA for Senate Bill 6182
The crowd of residents gathered at the Washington Capitol building in Olympia on Monday to rally and advocate for reproductive healthcare, transgender rights, and services for crime victims. Additionally, they advocated for Senate Bill 6182.
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Hundreds of advocates gathered on the Capitol steps in Olympia on Monday, urging lawmakers to restore funding for reproductive health care, transgender services and crime victim programs.
The rally brought together organizations from across Washington for Planned Parenthood’s Lobby Day and Gender Justice League’s annual Trans Advocacy Day.
Advocates are pushing lawmakers to restore $8.5 million cut last year from the state’s Abortion Access Project, AAP, a Washington initiative designed to ensure people can access abortion care if they choose.
What they're saying:
"What do our rights mean without real access to health care," Courtney Normand, Washington state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates said. "Your income level should never be the thing that has to make the decision between being pregnant or not."
Normand says this is the largest cut to abortion access funding in the state’s history.
"The impact it has on nonprofit abortion Safety Net Providers was profound, and they're really at a breaking point," Nomad said. "All of the federal attacks that we're seeing, there's a real risk that we could lose health centers now."
Sen. Jessica Bateman, D-Olympia, told the crowd lawmakers are working to strengthen protections.
"At this time, when our rights are under attack more than they have been in decades, it is so important that we come together and say loudly, with one strong voice together, we are not going back," Bateman said. "We want to ensure Washington state is a shining star for abortion rights throughout the country, because every person has the right to get the safe, quality care that they need, and in Washington state, our laws say that includes abortion. We have bills before us today that will make abortion rights even stronger in Washington. And we still need to vote on my bill, SB 6182, to guarantee a permanent funding source for Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health clinics. We have just 24 more days."
Dig deeper:
Senate Bill 6182 would establish a dedicated funding source for abortion services by creating a savings account funded through a tax on health insurance companies. The measure has advanced out of committee and is headed to the House floor for debate.
If passed, health care companies would be required to pay $0.82 per coverage month in 2027 and $0.165 in 2028 and after.
The Department of Health would then provide grants for abortion care services for uninsured or underinsured individuals or for people who can't use their health insurance for privacy concerns.
Representative Debra Lekaniff also joined in on the rally saying, "I am going to be fifty-five in just a couple of days, and I can’t believe that we are still standing here telling our governing bodies that this is our body, our right, your decision, my decision," Lekanoff said. "It is important for me to stand here before so many of our underrepresented communities honoring each and every one of you. Carrying your voices, carrying your generations, carrying the voices of what your aunties told you at your time in your life when it was important that your voice matters, your spirit matters, and that you have every right to continue to fight for what is important to you and for everybody here."
Local perspective:
Danni Askini, Executive Director of Gender Justice League in Seattle, said she is also asking lawmakers to restore more than $21 million in crime victims funding that she says was cut in half. Federal funding through the Victims of Crime Act has declined by more than 70% in recent years, according to the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and temporary state funding is set to expire.
"If the funding doesn't pass, it would mean about half of the domestic violence organization would have to lay off staff, and it would mean specifically communities that are most impacted by crime wouldn't have funds to support people to get into safe housing, to pay for lawyers to get medical care, to address the issues that come up after being victims of crime," Askini said.
Advocates representing Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates—Washington, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Greater Washington and North Idaho, Gender Justice League and other LGBTQ+ organizations met directly with legislators throughout the day.
However, not everyone agrees a new savings budget is necessary to fund abortions, including the Washington State Catholic Conference and the Conservative Ladies of Washington, CLW, who oppose the measure, arguing it does not allow individuals to opt out of funding abortion coverage.
On its website, the CLW say "It prioritizes abortion funding while the state faces a $4.5B deficit and other critical needs remain underfunded."
Lawmakers are expected to continue budget negotiations in the final weeks of the session.
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