Governors announce ‘West Coast offence’ to protect abortion

The states issued a joint “multi-state commitment”, saying they will work together to defend patients and medical professionals providing reproductive health care

Abortion-rights advocate Eleanor Wells during a protest in Los Angeles, California (Jae C. Hong/AP)

The Democratic governors of California, Washington and Oregon on Friday vowed to protect reproductive rights and help women who travel to the West Coast seeking abortions following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

The three states are building a “West Coast offence” to protect patients’ access to reproductive care, California governor Gavin Newsom said in a video statement announcing the plans, with Oregon governor Kate Brown and Washington governor Jay Inslee.