The Olympia City Council took action this week to get ahead of what is expected to be a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that will overturn the court's previous Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision.
In early May, a leaked Supreme Court majority opinion showed Roe v. Wade was set to be overturned in June, although that's yet to happen.
On Tuesday, June 14, Olympia City Council member Lisa Parshley introduced a request to extend Olympia's Sanctuary City status to protect reproductive health and to declare Olympia a pro-choice city.
Parshley also included requests to provide financial assistance to local reproductive clinics, with those servicing marginalized and low-income communities being the priority.
Parshley's request passed unanimously, and she said it will make Olympia the first Washington city to have the designation. But before that can happen, legal staff have to write up the extension and bring it back to the council for a formal vote. Parshley said that could happen within weeks, but passing the referral unanimously is what really matters.
Parshley's action also requests that the city work to balance people's First Amendment rights and the right to access medical and reproductive care. The request goes hand in hand with a recommendation to update the Community Livability and Public Safety Committee's work plan to include ways to strike the balance.
There have been some confrontations in recent years between patients and anti-abortion demonstrators who regularly sit outside Olympia's Planned Parenthood clinic.
Parshley said that if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, there will be more consequences than some may know.
"If they overturn Roe v Wade, they are threatening many of our rights and liberties," she said, "as the law guarantees a woman's right to choose also represents the right to reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, privacy and many racial justice laws."
Parshley said those who would be most affected by the decision are women of color, women of lower income and other marginalized communities.
She said the ruling would increase the number of illegal and dangerous abortions that put pregnant women at risk. Those in states with stricter abortion laws may travel to other states seeking help, which could put a strain on clinics in those cities.
Parshley said the referral is modeled after a similar one passed in Oakland, California, in May that declared the city a Sanctuary City for Abortion Access.
Council member Dani Madrone recommended that the language be more encompassing of anyone who can become pregnant to include those in the nonbinary and transgender communities.
Council member Dontae Payne said the referral is also a call for men to step forward and fight for civil rights.
"It's like the saying, 'If they come for one of us, they come for all of us,'" he said. "If we don't stand up for those who are being marginalized at the moment, trust and assure you'll be next tomorrow."
Payne said he finds it important to recognize that a decision hasn't been made at the Supreme Court level yet. But the referral is a letter of intent that states the community's values.
Council member Yến Huỳnh said the action is more than just a symbol of what they believe in because there are real goals to help protect those in the community.
