This new domestic gag rule is a dangerous policy that threatens health care access for millions of Washingtonians, particularly vulnerable Washington residents who rely on publicly funded health care clinics for basic health care, including family planning, routine cancer screenings, and information about abortion.
In 1991, the people of Washington State voted overwhelmingly to our use own state public funding to ensure all people have access to the right to decide when and whether to start or expand a family. This new rule would impose huge barriers to people’s ability to access this care, by prohibiting health care providers from telling women where they can access abortion services and removing any guarantee that patients are receiving full and accurate information about their health care and pregnancy-related options.
The anti-choice movement knows that knowledge is power, which is why they’ll go to any length to ensure that women lack the information they need to avoid or terminate an unplanned pregnancy. This draconian rule prioritizes radical anti-choice ideology over patients’ lives. By taking away women’s ability to make informed decisions about pregnancy while simultaneously rolling back access to food assistance, health care, and other basic needs, the “pro-life” movement is proving once again that it is anything but.
