Gov. Daniel J. McKee on July 5 signed an executive order protecting access to reproductive health care in Rhode Island. The move followed the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years.
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 order seeks to provide legal protections to individuals who come to the Ocean State for reproductive health services and for providers who perform those services here.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has said the Bay State’s economy could benefit from companies looking to relocate or expand their businesses there due to the state’s support for abortion rights.
