Page 1
Image One:
Text: “Seattle is pro-choice. How about its hospitals?”
ALT Text: A bold headline introduces the topic of abortion access in Seattle hospitals.
Image Two:
Text: “Seattle has declared itself a sanctuary city for abortion providers and patients.”
ALT Text: A person holds a newspaper that reads “Seattle: Sanctuary City!”, announcing the city’s pro-choice stance.
Image Three:
Text: “But a possible 385% spike in out-of-state patients seeking abortions could overwhelm the usual providers like Planned Parenthood, from data of the Gutmacher Institute via reporting by Meghan Burbank at CrossCut.”
ALT Text: A large crowd of people waits in line as a frazzled Planned Parenthood worker answers the phone, saying “Hello, Planned Parenthood, please hold.”
Image Four:
Text: “We surveyed area hospitals on their readiness to meet increased demand and found a range of policies.”
ALT Text: A lineup of hospitals, each with different policies regarding abortion access, from pro-choice to anti-choice: Harborview/UW Medicine, Kaiser Permanente, Swedish, Virginia Mason
Image Five:
Text: Pro-choice hospitals: “UW Medicine offers the full range of reproductive care to our patients, including abortions.”
ALT Text: A friendly-looking hospital labeled “Harborview | UW Medicine” with a sign welcoming out-of-state patients from “Idaho & Montana”.
Image Six:
Text: Anti-choice hospitals: “On the other end is Virginia Mason. Since becoming Catholic-run in 2021, it’s ruled by a little-known document called The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare Services, written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It lays down biblically derived rules for everything from organ transplants to reproductive care.”
ALT Text: A hospital labeled “Virginia Mason” with a stern-looking bishop holding a staff, saying “No abortion. No vasectomies. No birth control.”
Page 2
Image One:
Text: “But a spokesperson for Virginia Mason did offer this assurance:
‘When a pregnant woman’s health is at risk, emergency care is always provided.'”
ALT Text: A hospital labeled “Virginia Mason” speaks reassuringly, claiming emergency abortion care is always provided.
Image Two:
Text: “Though not as overtly anti-choice as Virginia Mason, Swedish has a similar ‘Emergency Abortion Only’ policy, though it’s vague what that means in practice.”
ALT Text: A hospital labeled “Swedish” states that “In cases where pregnancy termination is not available in a Swedish clinic, referrals are made.”
Image Three:
Text: “Kaiser does offer so-called ‘elective’ abortions, but you won’t find this info on its website or on sites like AbortionFinder.org, making its place in our region’s role as an abortion sanctuary doubtful at best.”
ALT Text: A hospital labeled “Kaiser” states that for some, “the choice to have an abortion is clear,” but for others, “it’s more complicated.” A speech bubble advises patients to “take time to think about your choices” as seen in Kaiser’s website.
Image Four:
Text: “‘Elective abortion’ is a confusing, potentially deadly category, as discovered by a woman who nearly died of sepsis at a Catholic hospital in Bellingham while the hospital’s ethics committee deliberated about whether or not her case constituted an emergency.”
ALT Text: A woman lies gravely ill in a hospital bed, in the back three doctors deliberately confuse discussing the issue, illustrating the life-threatening delays caused by restrictive abortion policies.
Image Five:
Text: “Abortion has united Seattle politicians across the spectrum.”
ALT Text: A quote from Kshama Sawant states: “Let anyone frightened by draconian anti-abortion laws come to Seattle without fear of prosecution.”
And another quote from Bruce Harrell reads: “Seattle will remain a place where we lead with reproductive justice and where abortion and reproductive health care are available to all who seek it.”
Image Six:
Text: “But with more than half of our hospitals under a different set of values, it’s unclear how much of a sanctuary we are really ready to offer.”
ALT Text: A woman on the phone hears an automated message that says:
“To try Portland, press one.”
Image Seven:
Text: “Thank you: Amie Newman, Sarah Stoesz, and the spokespeople for these hospitals.”
ALT Text: Credits acknowledging contributors to the report.
