PROVIDENCE – Gov. Daniel J. McKee on Tuesday signed an executive order protecting access to reproductive health care in Rhode Island. The move follows the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years.
The order, which can be read here, ensures individuals who come to the Ocean State seeking reproductive health services will have safeguards from legal liability in other states, McKee’s office said. When the Supreme Court on June 24 voted 6-3 to overturn Roe v. Wade, McKee – one of several elected officials and nonprofit leaders who spoke out against the decision – called the ruling a “travesty,” claiming the decision will make abortions less safe.
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In 2019, Rhode Island passed into law the Reproductive Privacy Act, which codified the legal right for women to have an abortion in the Ocean State.
McKee’s office said Tuesday’s executive order also protects Rhode Island-based providers who perform reproductive health care services for out-of-state individuals. It will ensure they don’t lose their professional licenses or have out-of-state charges brought against them, McKee’s office said.
Also, the order prohibits any state executive department agencies from assisting in another state’s investigation into an individual or entity for receiving or delivering such health services. Rhode Island will also not cooperate with other states’ extradition requests pursuing criminal charges against individuals who received or performed legal reproductive health services in Rhode Island, McKee’s office said.
“Women should be trusted with their own health care decisions, and here in Rhode Island, we firmly support a right to choose,” McKee said in a statement. Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos also said in a statement that Rhode Island must “do all it can” to protect reproductive health care access and that the executive order will “ensure that anyone seeking this type of care anywhere in the country can do so in Rhode Island without fear of consequence.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
We all should be promoting and using less drastic measures of contraception.