Washington Governor Inslee Prohibits Patrol From Aiding Abortion Investigations

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has issued a directive instructing the Washington State Patrol to not cooperate with out-of-state abortion investigations.

The order, which was finalized Thursday, was first announced by Inslee at a news conference outside the Capitol last weekend, one day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Under the directive, the state patrol must not cooperate with most subpoenas, search warrants or court orders from states with laws that ban or significantly restrict abortion access.

Any request received by the patrol must be reviewed and processed in conjunction with the attorney general’s office and the governor’s attorney.