In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the states of California, Oregon and Washington have stated that they will continue to be a safe haven for all people seeking access to abortion and other reproductive health services.
The governors of those three states issued a Multi-State Commitment on Friday to defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraception, and agree to protect patients and physicians from efforts by other states to export their abortion bans.
The action is part of the governors' pledge in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's unprecedented decision to strip away a constitutional right that has existed for half a century, leaving abortion regulation to the states.
The sweeping decision means that for patients in more than half the country, home to 33.6 million women, abortion care is either illegal or inaccessible.
In a message from video, the governors detail that the West Coast will continue to be a place where reproductive health care will be accessible and protected.