It’s only Week 3 of the 2023 Legislative Session and we already have lots to share!

This week was “Reproductive Freedom” week in Olympia, as legislators considered bills to protect and preserve the right to reproductive and gender-affirming care in Washington state on what would have been the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, but for the Supreme Court’s decision to roll back Roe in the Dobbs case. 

This week, NoHLA Policy Analyst Lee Che P. Leong testified to support SB 5242, which would remove cost-sharing for abortion in state-regulated health plans, noting that it is time “to address this obstacle to essential and time-sensitive care.” Read her full testimony here.

 We are keeping an eye on these key bills:

• HB 1155, the AGO-requested “My Health, My Data Act” would protect the right to reproductive care by blocking websites and apps from collecting and sharing health data. 
• HB 1469, also known as the Shield Law, protects patients and providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care in Washington from retribution by other states, ensuring that care remains available to those who require it in Washington state.
• HB 1286 protects employers who provide support for reproductive care allowed in Washington state. When other states allow judgment against an employer, HB 1286 offers the employer recourse to attempt to recover damages from the people who brought the action against them.
• HB 1340 ensures that Washington’s providers cannot be disciplined in our state because they provide reproductive or gender affirming care in accordance with Washington state law, regardless of where their patients reside.