Washington Gov. Jay Inslee prepares to sign House Bill 1340, which protects health care providers in Washington from disciplinary action for providing legal abortion and gender-affirming care in Washington, April 27, at the University of Washington's Hans Rosling Center for Population Health in Seattle.
Mandatory Credit: Lindsey Wasson/AP
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Blue states see ‘shield laws’ as bulwark against Republican efforts to restrict abortion and gender-affirming care
As Republican lawmakers have pushed restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care in recent months, Democratic-led states have increasingly responded by passing so-called shield laws to protect people who undergo such care against the possibility they could one day face prosecution.
