The lobbying work of Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawai’i has recently focused on the Protecting Pregnant Patients Act in Washington.
Right now, in our state, some hospitals are delaying or denying care to patients experiencing pregnancy complications, even when the patient’s life may be at risk. This means that patients may not receive appropriate care for their pregnancies because of hospital policy.
By restricting the services a health care provider may offer to pregnant patients, entities are creating extra barriers to care that needlessly and disproportionately harm women, communities of color, rural residents, and patients with limited economic resources.
This is unacceptable, which is why we are thrilled to see this moving through the legislature. The bill
passed the Senate by a vote of 29-20 on Feb. 17 after lively debate, with a surprise from Sen. Dean Sheldon, a Democrat who typically caucuses with Republicans, voting in support of the bill.
The bill will now go to the House of Representatives for consideration and has until April 11 to be approved by the House.
Planned Parenthood will continue to fight for health care, for all, no matter what.
You can learn more about the work of Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawai’i, and how you can help, by following this link.
Tags: advocacy, Washington