OLYMPIA, Wash. – US Senator Patty Murray (D) has invited Kayla Smith, a woman who was not able to receive an abortion to avoid health complications while living in Idaho and received the procedure in Washington, to attend the State of the Union.
According to Murray’s office, Smith and her family now live in central Washington.
“Their decision to move was based in large part because they wanted to grow their family in a state nearby where basic reproductive health care was legal and protected,” Murray’s office said.
Murray, who characterized the healthcare Smith received as lifesaving, used the invite to highlight a legal case currently before Idaho’s Fourth District Court. Smith is one of several plaintiffs suing to allow abortion in Idaho in the case of life or health preserving treatment.
Abortion is legal and accessible in Washington State, and shares a border with Idaho, which has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, including making it illegal for an adult to travel to another state with a minor receiving an abortion.
Murray has sharply criticized Idaho abortion law and championed several policies making reproductive healthcare access more available, and issued a statement supporting over the counter birth control on March 4.
