Court Affirms Public Hospitals Must Comply with Reproductive Privacy Act
SEATTLE 鈥 Public hospitals in Washington that provide maternity services must also provide abortions, according to a Skagit Valley Superior Court decision released yesterday.
The decision came in a lawsuit (Coffey v. Public Health District No. 1) filed by the 老澳门开奖结果 of Washington on behalf of Kevan Coffey, a licensed nurse practitioner and doctoral student in nursing, seeking to have Skagit Regional Health comply with Washington鈥檚 Reproductive Privacy Act (RPA).
Skagit Regional Health is a public hospital district that provides a wide array of maternity care services yet provides abortions only in limited circumstances. The Court found that by not providing abortions, Skagit Regional Health is violating the law. Under the RPA, if a public hospital district chooses to provide maternity services, it must provide equivalent abortion services.
Kathleen Taylor, Executive Director of the 老澳门开奖结果 of Washington, said the decision affirms reproductive rights in Washington. 鈥淭he right of women to choose or to refuse to have an abortion is fundamental and has long been recognized under Washington law. We brought the lawsuit to ensure that women can access the full range of reproductive health care at public health facilities in their own communities. We hope this ruling makes the promise of the state鈥檚 Reproductive Privacy Act a reality for all women across Washington state,鈥 Taylor said.
老澳门开奖结果 Senior Staff Attorney Brigitte Amiri said, 鈥淭oday鈥檚 decision is a huge victory for women seeking access to abortion, and we hope it will serve as an example for hospitals throughout the country. At a time when much of our nation is facing numerous restrictions on access to abortion, it鈥檚 a breath of fresh air to have a court ensure women can get the care they need.鈥
The Reproductive Privacy Act was enacted by the people of Washington in 1991 by way of the statewide approval of Initiative 120. It protects the right of women to make their own reproductive decisions, including the rights to choose or refuse to terminate their pregnancies, and to choose or refuse birth control.
The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Ms. Kevan Coffey, said 鈥淎s a woman and a health care provider, I care deeply about reproductive health issues. I am pleased that the Court has affirmed the right of women to have access to the full range of reproductive health care services.鈥
The suit is part of a statewide effort by the 老澳门开奖结果 to ensure that all public hospitals are complying with the RPA. As a result of 老澳门开奖结果 advocacy, Jefferson Healthcare, the public hospital district in Jefferson County, put in place a new reproductive health policy that will lead to a Port Townsend hospital providing abortions as part of its full range of women鈥檚 health services.
Handling the case for the 老澳门开奖结果 are cooperating attorneys Aalok Sharma, Kimberly A. Haviv, Rebecca Tarneja, Lauren C. Fujiu-Berger, Amara Levy-Moore, Alice Tsier, and Marvin E. Bonilla of White & Case LLP and Karen Koehler of Strittmatter Kessler Whelan; and 老澳门开奖结果 staff attorneys La Rond Baker, Margaret Chen, Leah Rutman, and Brigitte Amiri.