Recently, Seattle made interference with someone’s health care a crime. In short, discriminating against someone for seeking or receiving an abortion is now deemed a misdemeanor crime in Seattle. The law was enacted to further the City’s efforts to preserver reproductive rights locally after federal protections were gutted by the US Supreme Court earlier this summer. The hope is that the law will minimize interference and harassment against those seeking care related to their reproductive rights.
As most know, in its June ruling, the US Supreme Court undid a decades-old constitutional protection of abortions. Seattle’s discrimination bill allows the city’s Office of Civil Rights to investigate alleged discrimination based on pregnancy outcomes. The bill recognizes an existing state law and allows the city prosecute any interference with one’s reproductive health as a misdemeanor in the Seattle Municipal Court.
Seattle is now deemed a ‘sanctuary’ for those seeking abortions, and Seattle’s police are strictly prohibited from cooperating with arrests and/or investigations related to abortion bans in other jurisdictions. In short, those who come to Seattle for an abortion can count on the fact that law enforcement will not assist any other governmental agency seeking to prosecute someone for their actions and/or choices related to an abortion.
If you or a loved one is in a bind as a result of a criminal charge, immediately contact a Seattle Criminal Attorney. A Criminal lawyer is not going to judge you, and understands that everyone makes mistakes. Hiring a Seattle Criminal Lawyer to help can – at a minimum – reduce penalties, and can help direct people on how to best deal with their criminal charge, and many times even get them dismissed. So it should go without saying that someone cited for a misdemeanor or felony should hire a Seattle Criminal Lawyer as soon as possible. Criminal charges can cause havoc on a person’s personal and professional life. Anyone charged with a crime in Washington State should immediately seek the assistance of a seasoned Seattle Criminal Lawyer like the team at SQ Attorneys. To reach SQ Attorneys directly call (425) 359-3791 or (206) 441-0900.
