OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington’s outgoing governor, leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate and both of the state’s US senators are touting their records on reproductive rights ahead of election season.
Governor Jay Inslee issued an emergency directive on Tuesday , the same day the Washington Democratic Party partnered with Planned Parenthood to condemn abortion record.
Senator Patty Murray hosted a press conference Wednesday showcasing the Right to IVF Act, which would establish a federal right to in vitro fertilization (IVF) following a February Alabama Supreme Court ruling for state residents.
While the Right to IVF Act is unlikely to find approval from Senate Republicans, it gives Democrats an opportunity to showcase their reproductive rights platform.
“Tomorrow we are going to be holding a vote to put every single Republican Senator on the record as to whether they genuinely support IVF. We cannot pretend this threat isn’t real—not after what happened in Alabama,” Murray said.
Senator Maria Cantwell has also focused on reproductive issues in recent weeks. She after a bill which would have established a federal right to contraception was turned down by the GOP.
Washington’s Democratic leaders view reproductive freedom as a winning messaging strategy heading into election season. Murray and Cantwell’s IVF and contraception bills actually making it to the president’s desk this session is unlikely, but they signal a broader party focus on shoring-up reproductive rights after the
