FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2022
MEDIA CONTACTS
Lynda Foster, Office of Council Member Olgy Diaz, lfoster@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5166
Maria Lee, Media and Communications, maria.lee@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-2054
Tacoma City Council Passes Ordinances 28858 and 28859
- Ordinances Add Municipal Level Protections for Those Seeking Abortions or Gender Affirming Healthcare -
TACOMA, Wash. – On November 22, the City Council passed Ordinance 28858 adopting Chapter 9A.50 RCW into the Tacoma Municipal Code, authorizing the City Attorney to prosecute any person who willfully or recklessly interferes with access to or from a health care facility, or willfully or recklessly disrupts the normal functioning of such a facility, as a gross misdemeanor in the Tacoma Municipal Court. This ordinance will help protect an individual’s right to seek abortions or gender affirming healthcare. The Council also passed Ordinance 28859 amending the Tacoma Municipal Code to include protections against discrimination based on an individual’s actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes related to seeking City employment, housing, public accommodations, banking, insurance and wherever other class statuses are protected.
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court had issued a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (No. 19-1392) overruling the constitutional right to an abortion established by Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833, repudiating a constitutional right to privacy. Council Member Olgy Diaz brought forward Ordinances 28858 and 28859 because she believes these rulings threaten civil and human rights at a fundamental level.
“In an effort to uphold Tacoma’s status as a welcoming and inclusive city, the Tacoma City Council believes discrimination in all its forms should be prevented. This is particularly important at a time when the ability to self-determine pregnancy outcomes, as well as access to services, have been left up to state and local jurisdictions by our federal government,” said Council Member Diaz. “Furthermore, members of our trans community and their families remain under continued threat and attack nationwide. It is my hope that adding municipal level protections for those seeking abortions or gender affirming healthcare in Tacoma will help provide additional peace of mind and enhance public safety.”
The ordinances take effect on December 9, 2022.
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