Gov. Gregoire�s statement opposing Bush administration proposal to limit women�s health care access

For Immediate Release: July 28, 2008

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services draft proposal on federal regulations for women�s health care:

�Today, I sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt expressing my strong opposition to the proposed federal regulations which would both compromise protections for health care access and severely undermine access to basic health care services for women.

�The proposed regulation fundamentally alters the scope of existing law, exceeding what Congress intended. The proposal defines �abortion� to include widely used methods of birth control and emergency contraception. Under this proposed definition, women could be denied access to basic health care services that include birth control, regardless of state laws firmly in place that ensure women have access to these services.

�I am very concerned about the potential impact of these proposed rules to long-standing state protections for women�s health care. I strongly urge the Bush administration to prevent this regulation from being formally proposed.�