“The legislation would prevent Seattle police officers from processing arrest warrants related to anti-abortion laws for both patients and their doctors.”
PRAVASISAMWAD.COM
Indian-origin Seattle Council member Kshama Sawant lodged a protest against Supreme Court’s overturning Roe v. Wade and decided to introduce legislation to turn Seattle into an “abortion rights sanctuary city,” a report in Seattle Times said.
Sawant on Friday (June 25, 2022) addressed a press conference along with community supporters following the Supreme Court’s decision. She pledged to amend the city’s budget to make access to abortion free for those seeking sanctuary from anti-abortion laws around the country and for Seattle residents.
A release issued after the press conference said, “The legislation would prevent Seattle police officers from processing arrest warrants related to anti-abortion laws for both patients and their doctors.”
She also pledged to bring an amendment to the city’s budget to make ‘access to abortion’ free for those seeking sanctuary from anti-abortion laws around the country and for Seattle residents.
“Today we face the single biggest attack on women, queer and pregnant people, and reproductive rights in most of our lifetimes, and this right-wing Supreme Court has also given every indication that they plan to carry out draconian attacks on LGBTQ rights,” Sawant said in a statement. “We must make Seattle a sanctuary for pregnant people and their doctors and other care providers facing persecution for seeking and performing abortions.”
According to a Seattle Times report, no other council members have come out in support of the preliminary legislation proposed by Sawant, but Council member Tammy Morales said her office was working on legislation “aimed at protecting workers who seek abortions, regulating crisis pregnancy centers, and providing safe passage for people seeking abortion treatment and gender-affirming care at clinics in our city.”
“And I am terrified and outraged for the many people who will need abortion care today and every day forthcoming, particularly Black and Brown folks across the country. Make no mistake, this ruling is the Supreme Court mandating forced pregnancy, taking away the right to self-determination and personal freedom.”
— Council member Tammy Morales
She called the decision of the “right-wing Supreme Court” a perverse agenda that disregarded a half-century of precedence.
“…to violate basic human and constitutional rights, to take away a person’s right to choose, to force people to give birth against their will. While this is a moment of unspeakable sorrow, we must not let it lead to despair. One in four women in this country have had an abortion. I am one of them. And I am terrified and outraged for the many people who will need abortion care today and every day forthcoming, particularly Black and Brown folks across the country. Make no mistake, this ruling is the Supreme Court mandating forced pregnancy, taking away the right to self-determination and personal freedom.”
******************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com
