The governors of Washington and Minnesota on Thursday enacted legal protections for people traveling to those entities seeking reproductive procedures and physical gender reassignment interventions.
They are the latest states to enact safeguards against bans or limits on transgender health care and pregnancy termination procedures that have been implemented in Republican-governed states.
In Seattle, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee wore a pink tie at the event to enact the bill that prohibits other states from using Washington state courts or legal processes to enforce their bans on abortion and gender-affirming health care. The bill blocks out-of-state court orders, subpoenas, extradition requests and court orders related to those out-of-state patients.
“Freedom of choice is a healthcare issue. We are protecting access to health care,” Inslee said.
At the other end of the country, Gov. Tim Walz, also a Democrat, turned Minnesota into a haven for young people coming from other states seeking physical gender reassignment interventions. Many other states are rushing to impose restrictions on medical care for transitioners. The governor also signed into law Thursday a bill making Minnesota a sanctuary for out-of-state patients seeking abortions and banning so-called conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth.
Washington’s law responds to states like neighboring Idaho, which have banned abortions and made it illegal for an adult to help a minor have an abortion without the consent of a parent or guardian.
Starting next year, anyone in Idaho who provides gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth could face felony conviction, after the state’s Republican governor enacted a law banning the treatment earlier this month.
Similarly, Minnesota’s new law targets patients seeking abortions who come not only from neighboring states, but from as far away as Texas.