By Courtney Normand / For The Herald

With the federal government attacking abortion and reproductive health every day, why isn’t Washington doing everything it can to fight back and preserve access?

Abortion access across the country is under attack from Donald Trump and Elon Musk. These two billionaires are working on multiple fronts to target Planned Parenthood and the patients who rely on it. Their goal is to use every method possible to strip away funding for abortion providers, even if the funding isn’t used for abortions at all.

The Trump administration is dead set on defunding providers like Planned Parenthood. It has already withheld millions of dollars in national family planning funding in 23 states (thankfully, not Washington; yet), and is threatening a nationwide defunding of Planned Parenthood. It doesn’t matter to the administration that we are often someone’s sole provider for essential health care, including birth control, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, gender-affirming care, abortion, cancer screenings and more.

At the same time, Republican leaders in Washington, D.C., are weighing enormous Medicaid cuts to pay for even more tax cuts for the wealthy. Nationally, 2 out of every 5 births are covered by Medicaid. In Washington, Planned Parenthood is a key provider of essential care for Medicaid patients, with over half of patients using Medicaid to cover birth control, wellness exams and preventive screenings. Now, with news of Trump’s leaked budget proposal — which would entirely eliminate vital programs like the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program and Title X — our worst fears could quickly become reality.

With these national attacks building, and more on the horizon, it is more important than ever for Washington state to step up and protect abortion access while the federal government fails us. That is why it was so shocking and disheartening to see that the state Senate Democrats’ proposed budget slashes funding for the Abortion Access Project by 55 percent.

Created in 2023, the Abortion Access Project has been vital in safeguarding abortion care following the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, helping providers meet the unprecedented demand and strain on services. Through Abortion Access Project funding, providers have implemented tried and true retention strategies to address the workforce shortage, allowing them to compete with larger health systems. This program has been essential in expanding later access to abortion care, increasing access to care through telehealth services, and providing funding to help patients afford their abortion care.

The proposed $4.2 million annual cut to safety net abortion providers would devastate Washington’s reproductive health care network. Planned Parenthood health centers and other safety net providers across the state would face significant service reductions, leaving thousands of Washingtonians without critical reproductive health care.

Here in Snohomish County, Planned Parenthood operates health centers in Everett, Marysville, and Lynnwood. Over the past year, these three health centers have seen a 31 percent increase in patients seeking abortion care. Cutting funding from the Abortion Access Project would send shockwaves throughout our operations, reducing hours and limiting services, creating longer wait times, or forcing patients to travel further distances to receive care. And it’s not just abortion patients who will feel the impact; nearly 9,000 patients rely on these three health centers for other essential care every year.

Planned Parenthood and other safety net providers are already navigating high inflation, rising health care costs, workforce shortages, and increased security threats; all while striving to maintain and expand access since the fall of Roe v. Wade and Trump’s return.

Washington has a long and proud legacy of investing in abortion access and sexual and reproductive health care. As Trump, Musk and their allies try to end abortion care nationwide, it is more important than ever that the legislature continues the fight to protect abortion access now and for future generations.

Abortion rights mean nothing without access. Legislators must act now to fully fund the Abortion Access Project. Washington can continue to lead the way, but only if legislators do the right thing.

Courtney Normand is the Washington state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. She lives in Arlington.