King County and Seattle Sign Amicus Brief to Protect Access to Abortion Care
Summary
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion, and Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans released the following statements after King County and Seattle signed an amicus brief in Louisiana v. FDA, defending access to the abortion medication mifepristone.
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“The scientific evidence is clear: mifepristone is a safe, effective medication backed by over two decades of research,” said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay. “As a councilmember, I was proud to pass a motion reaffirming King County’s support for reproductive rights, and that commitment remains firm today. In the post Dobbs landscape, King County will continue to be a stronghold from reproductive freedom and defend access to abortion care from the baseless, politicized attacks.”
“This is just the latest in a string of assaults on reproductive freedom, and I signed on to this brief to urge a reversal of this harmful ruling and protect access to mifepristone via telemedicine for King County and the rest of the country,” said King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion. “Since Dobbs, access to mifepristone has become a lifeline for people seeking reproductive healthcare throughout the country – care that is now at risk because of a recent Fifth Circuit decision. As King County Prosecuting Attorney, I will keep fighting to protect our reproductive rights and access to reproductive healthcare.”
“Here in Seattle, we fight back with urgency and courage to protect our reproductive rights. That is why we’re standing up to this harmful ruling,” said Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans. “Louisiana doesn’t get to decide how the rest of us access our reproductive choices. I will do everything I possibly can to protect bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom in Seattle.”
King County and Seattle joined a coalition of 110 local governments and leaders and the Public Rights Project urging the Supreme Court to protect access to mifepristone, a medication used in abortions and early miscarriage care.
The coalition opposes a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that would ban the drug from being delivered by mail or dispensed by pharmacies after telehealth consultations nationwide, even in states that have shield laws like Washington.
Medication abortion accounts for nearly two-thirds of abortions in the U.S., and mifepristone has been used safely and effectively for over 25 years. In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed an in-person dispensing requirement, allowing the medication to be accessed by mail or pharmacy.
Telemedicine has become a critical tool for expanding access, particularly in areas without nearby healthcare providers. The brief argues that restricting access would cause strain on local health care systems, create barriers to care, and affect miscarriage management.
“Despite continued hostile attacks from bad-faith actors determined to limit abortion access, the facts remain undeniable: mifepristone is safe, effective, and essential to ensuring patients can make their own private health care decisions and access the reproductive health care where they need, when they need it,” said Courtney Normand, Washington State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. “We are deeply grateful to King County and Seattle for their courageous leadership in standing up to these politically motivated attacks and for their unwavering commitment to protecting sexual and reproductive rights and health care access here in Washington State.”
Read the full brief here.
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