"We're going to fight like hell to keep Washington a pro-choice state," governor says at rally

Record ID: 1671343

  • Title: "We're going to fight like hell to keep Washington a pro-choice state," governor says at rally
  • Date: 4th May 2022
  • Summary: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES (MAY 3, 2022) (REUTERS) ABORTION RIGHTS DEMONSTRATORS CHANTING AT KERRY PARK IN SEATTLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WASHINGTON STATE GOVERNOR, JAY INSLEE, SAYING: "Washington state was a pro-choice state, Washington state is a pro-choice state and we're going to fight like hell to keep Washington a pro-choice state. That's why we're here today." VARIOUS OF ABORTION RIGHTS DEMONSTRATORS AT KERRY PARK IN SEATTLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ATTORNEY GENERAL BOB FERGUSON TO SEATTLE DEPUTY MAYOR MONISHA HARRELL, SAYING: "We'll make sure that Seattle and Washington state will remain a place that is safe for all." (SOUNDBITE) (English) WASHINGTON STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, BOB FERGUSON, SAYING: "We know that there are folks, places in the United States, who would like to jeopardize the right of choice in their state, even for their own citizens. We're going to explore, and act appropriately, to provide sanctuary for those American citizens who in Washington state exercise the right of choice, because we will not allow the tentacles of Texas to get into Washington state." VARIOUS OF ABORTION RIGHTS DEMONSTRATORS AT KERRY PARK IN SEATTLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BOARD PRESIDENT OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD ALLIANCE ADVOCATES, JENNIFER MARTINEZ, SAYING: "Abortion can never be taken away. All this decision serves to do is to make abortion less safe for those who seek it, and those effects will disproportionately be felt by those from historically marginalized communities. Black, indigenous, Latino, and other people of color. The leaked decision alludes to going back to our country's foundation and honoring those values. Reversal of Roe v. Wade and its impact are a testament to the legacy of racism and discrimination in this country. So let me ask you, are those the values that you want our country to uphold?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN, PRAMILA JAYAPAL, SAYING: "This radical majority of the Supreme Court has no respect for precedent, has no respect for women, and the freedoms that now two generations of people have grown up believing are settled law. Let's be clear that we cannot trust the Supreme Court on any decision we thought was settled. And that's why we can't sit back and rest in the despair or the anger or the frustration that we're all feeling today. We have to organize, we have to elect the majority that will allow us to restore the Supreme Court and our democratic institutions. And the stakes are high; if we don't, this Supreme Court won't stop with abortion. There's a straight line from upending abortion rights, to getting rid of access to contraception, to banning gay marriage, and our minority communities will be the ones who pay the steepest price. Because abortion won't go away, but safe and legal abortion will, endangering millions of people." VARIOUS OF ABORTION RIGHTS DEMONSTRATORS AT KERRY PARK IN SEATTLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WASHINGTON STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MEMBER, LAURIE JINKINS, SAYING: "We won't back down, we won't get turned around. You can back us up to the gates of hell, and we will not back down." VARIOUS OF ABORTION RIGHTS DEMONSTRATORS AT KERRY PARK IN SEATTLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WASHINGTON STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, BOB FERGUSON, SAYING: "In other words, this draft opinion as outrageous and extreme it is does not outlaw abortion, and thanks to our voter-approved initiative here in Washington state, abortion is still legal here."
  • Embargoed: 18th May 2022 02:45
  • Keywords: ABORTION RIGHTS ROE V WADE SEATTLE
  • Location: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES
  • City: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Society/Social Issues,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA001555403052022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Washington state politicians and dozens of demonstrators gathered at Kerry Park in Seattle on Tuesday (May 3) to express their opposition to a leaked draft decision indicating the U.S. Supreme Court may overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
    "Washington state is a pro-choice state and we're going to fight like hell to keep Washington a pro-choice state. That's why we're here today," said Washington state Governor Jay Inslee.
    "This radical majority of the Supreme Court has no respect for precedent, has no respect for women, and the freedoms that now two generations of people have grown up believing are settled law," said U.S. congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. "Let's be clear that we cannot trust the Supreme Court on any decision we thought was settled."
    Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics and has been for nearly a half-century. A 2021 Pew Research Center poll found that 59% of U.S. adults believed it should be legal in all or most cases, while 39% thought it should be illegal in most or all cases.
    The abortion ruling, due by the end of June, would be the court's biggest since former President Donald Trump succeeded in naming three conservative justices to the court - Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.
    "This draft opinion, as outrageous and extreme it is, does not outlaw abortion, and thanks to our voter-approved initiative here in Washington state, abortion is still legal here," said Attorney General Bob Ferguson at the rally.
    Mass rallies were planned by abortion-rights advocates in cities across the country on Tuesday, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia.
    (Production: Matt McKnight)
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