In a letter to several Washington medical commissions, Attorney General Bob Ferguson has asked their boards to exercise discretion when they’re licensing out-of-state abortion providers who have been penalized for providing abortion services criminalized in other states.
The letter was addressed to members of the Washington Medical Commission, the Washington State Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, the Washington State Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission and the Washington Nursing Care Assurance Commission.
The boards are responsible for providing licenses for medical providers in the state.
The licensing process will typically involve a criminal background check, where prosecutions and convictions for certain crimes can disqualify providers from obtaining a license.
The request comes amid speculation the Supreme Court reverses Roe vs. Wade, allowing states to enforce state laws that criminalize abortion.
Ferguson is asking the boards to ensure providers who are penalized under those laws, but otherwise meet Washington’s standard of care, are not barred from practicing in the state.
“If the United States Supreme Court eliminates the federal right to abortion and reproductive care, medical providers who come to Washington to practice should be not penalized for providing this essential care that is legal in Washington,” Ferguson said. “We have the opportunity here to stand up for our values that voters have adopted into law.”
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