Savannah Hulsey Pointer, FISM News
The city council in Seattle, Washington voted yesterday to make their city an abortion sanctuary city, giving more credence to the fact that the city has become a stronghold for liberal ideology.
City council member Kshama Sawant introduced the bill at a news conference on June 24, the same day the Supreme Court announced the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which repealed Roe v. Wade and ended federal protections for abortion.
“Laws violating basic bodily autonomy and criminalizing reproductive health care are fundamentally unjust and we should not allow Seattle to be complicit,” Sawant told The Seattle Times on Tuesday.
Seattle police have stated they, will abide by the bill, and won’t cooperate with arrests or investigations related to abortion bans in other states, making the city a sanctuary for those seeking abortions and those providing them.
Sawant also pointed out during her statement that the measure received support from 5,500 community members who signed a petition in support of the legislation.
“Let anyone frightened by draconian anti-abortion laws come to Seattle without fear of prosecution,” she added.
The council unanimously approved Sawant’s bill. Before the final vote, councilmembers removed the phrase “provided by a licensed health care provider operating within the scope of their practice,” and added protections for women seeking to end the life of their unborn child by seeking unlicensed care as well.
“The reality is the states that have passed draconian anti-abortion laws also make it impossible to be licensed to provide reproductive health care. And as a result, people are forced to find other illegal ways to do the same thing,” Sawant said.
Meanwhile, pro-life advocates held events in the Seattle area last week. Obianuju Ekeocha, founder and president of Culture of Life Africa, spread the message of life and hope during three different events in Washington state last week.
Events in Seattle are going beautifully well.
I’m enjoying every minute of my time among the incredibly resilient pro-life minority of Seattle and I’m making good friends.
Thank you Seattle! pic.twitter.com/6g5OT0UfYc
— Obianuju Ekeocha (@obianuju) July 22, 2022
Seattle’s city council vote comes on the heels of another piece of legislation that gives protections to abortion-seekers, seeming to put those individuals in a special class. A pair of bills introduced last week would outlaw discrimination and interference with abortion treatment, adding to a number of prospective policy changes aimed at making the city a haven for those seeking abortions.
The first council bill seeks to change some existing city codes which prohibit discrimination based on age, race, gender, sexuality, ability, or other protected classes, to also prohibit disparate treatments based on “actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes.”
“The idea is to create, as a protected class, people who are seeking abortions, especially because we anticipate that there will be a lot of people coming to Washington seeking care,” Morales said last Wednesday according to The Seattle Times. “We want to make sure that they aren’t targeted by restaurants or hotels or any other sort of entity that they are visiting while they’re here seeking that care,” she added.
The other potential change would incorporate a Washington law into the city’s criminal code, classifying interfering with medical professionals and facilities as a misdemeanor and granting the city attorney the right to bring charges. Additionally, it would set down criminal and civil sanctions for individuals found guilty.
“[The proposed bill] creates a misdemeanor or a civil infraction for people who encroach on people seeking [an] abortion at a reproductive health care facility, and would also extend to folks who are looking for gender-affirming care,” Morales said. The bill would require that protesters stay at least 8 feet away from anyone seeking abortion or other reproductive care at a facility.
Currently, abortion remains legal across the state of Washington. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in June that the city’s police will not pursue issues related to abortion “that are inconsistent with Washington laws and most important[ly] our values.”