FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ryan MacDonald, ryan@prochoicewashington.org
OLYMPIA, WA — Washington state lawmakers on Saturday released a final budget that includes cutting $8.5 million from the Abortion Access Project. This devastating cut will slash the Abortion Access Project budget by 55% and will have an immediate impact on residents of Washington and out-of-state patients and their ability to access affordable abortion care.
The biennial budget comes at a time when abortion access, gender-affirming care, and our public health infrastructure are under relentless attack. In recent weeks, the Trump administration announced plans to withhold federal funds to restrict abortion care at the state level.
After weeks of negotiations, Washington lawmakers proposed several budgets that would have raised revenue by making the wealthy pay what they truly owe. Throughout the negotiation process, Governor Ferguson made it clear he would not approve any version of the budget that included a broad wealth tax to fund essential services on which many Washingtonians rely.
In the end, Washington state Democrats, with direction from the Governor’s office, finalized a budget on the backs of most vulnerable patients and residents. By dismantling the funding for key social services such as the Abortion Access Project, our lawmakers have failed to protect the systems and programs that make reproductive freedom a reality for millions of Washingtonians.
Because of our movement’s strong, year-round advocacy, both the House and the Senate put forward historically progressive revenue packages. However, because of unexpected moves by the Governor’s office, that were no doubt aligned with a strong lobbying effort by Affordable Washington and wealthy corporations, the final proposed budget does not include a broad wealth tax on the state’s richest residents or a payroll tax on high salaries by paid by Big Tech Companies.
Pro-Choice Washington, along with our reproductive health care coalition partners, won’t stop fighting for a Washington where everyone has the freedom and support to make their own reproductive decisions and build the futures they choose. That fight includes the state budget because budgets are moral documents—and this one fall profoundly short.
Interim Executive Director Sami Alloy release the following statement:
“We’re disappointed to see that the legislature released a budget that includes deep cuts to the services that Washingtonians rely on to protect our reproductive options in the Pacific Northwest at a time when our health care is under attack.
House and Senate Democrats as well as Governor Ferguson have historically been strong allies when it comes to protecting abortion rights. But reproductive freedom is about more than just our legal rights. It’s about ensuring that every person has access to the options they need. When the state defunds essential services and critical programs like the Abortion Access Project, it puts added strain on overburdened providers and harms patients’ access to care.
If Governor Ferguson believes as we do that every Washingtonian deserves the freedom to raise families with dignity, safety, and economic security, we urge him to make the very wealthy pay what they truly owe and to stand with everyday Washingtonians, not austerity measures that do the opposite by increasing costs to patients while deepening inequality and limiting autonomy.”
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Pro-Choice Washington is an independent organization solely focused on political and legislative advocacy for reproductive freedom in Washington state. We believe every person deserves equitable access to affordable, unbiased, quality reproductive and abortion healthcare within their community. Our organization is powered by the voices of more than 26,000 members across the state who are speaking up for reproductive rights through advocacy, community engagement, and education.
