Here is where things stand in WA, two years after Dobbs decision

Two years this week, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, throwing patients and providers into chaos. Those who live in Washington are fortunate to be in a state where comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, is protected — but providers here have absorbed at least a 50% growth in out-of-state patients since the Dobbs decision.

As the CEO of the Planned Parenthood affiliate that covers Western Washington, I wonder how long our state can absorb the strain. In the first half of 2024 alone, Planned Parenthood’s health centers in Western Washington provided abortion care for patients from 22 states across the country.

We’ve kept our doors open, doing everything possible to ensure we can serve all patients who need us. We’ve invested in technology like apps that deliver medication abortion directly to patients’ doorsteps, and invested in patient navigators to help people access care, often across state lines.

I shouldn’t have to think about a future where my granddaughter would have to possibly join me on a flight to Seattle if she experiences an unintended pregnancy when she gets older. Our local Planned Parenthood affiliate is the largest geographic affiliate in the country, with health centers not only here, but also in Idaho, Alaska, Hawaíʻi, Indiana and Kentucky.

I live in Idaho, where abortion is completely banned — where women are being flown out of state for emergency abortion care, risking death in the process. This dire reality will be compounded even more if we lose the pending Supreme Court decision on whether pregnant patients will continue to have guaranteed access to emergency medical care nationwide.

We shouldn’t have to put up billboards between Idaho and Washington telling patients they can come across state lines for care — but we have done that, because the chaos created by the Supreme Court demands it. Patients have no idea where to turn. We will keep fighting daily to expand access to care and ensure patients can get on a plane from Florida to Seattle if necessary — and for many, it is.

We know patients are so scared that they often don’t even tell us where they are from, relying on a friend or family member’s local address or a hotel address because they fear the consequences if their home state finds out they traveled for care. Our patients should not be afraid to share their addresses out of fear that an aggressive attorney general will come after them for traveling to Washington to access abortion. But the confusion, fear and chaos is the point. It has made it impossible for patients to feel confident and safe, even in states that still provide abortions.

While Washington is carrying its load of patients, it isn’t immune to the nationwide provider shortage. This puts immense strain on our ability to remain stable while prioritizing recruitment and retention of health care staff. The costs of delivering health care continue to skyrocket as we face unrelenting attacks on our very ability to exist.

Earlier this month, we found ourselves celebrating a bittersweet victory when the Supreme Court upheld the bare minimum by rejecting claims of anti-abortion extremists that would have restricted access to a safe and effective form of medication abortion, which accounts for 60% of all abortions in Washington. This decision highlights how dire the situation has become when basic protections are considered a triumph.

I envision a future where my granddaughter and all people can make informed decisions about their bodies and health without boarding a plane or crossing state lines. Highway billboards should be for vacation destinations and restaurants, not abortion-access information. Our resources are finite, but together, we will fight for however long it takes to see a day where abortion care is accessible and equitable, no matter the ZIP code.