Planned Parenthood Celebrates Senate Passage of Legislation to Safeguard Abortion Access in Hawaiʻi; Urges House to Do the Same

HONOLULU — Yesterday, health care advocates across Hawaiʻi celebrated the Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 2282, legislation to strengthen statutory protections for abortion. This bill, which now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration, will preserve and reinforce Hawaiʻi’s position as a stalwart supporter of abortion access — made even more important by the likely collapse of Roe v. Wade later this year by the U.S. Supreme Court.

SB 2282 clarifies that all pregnant people in the state have the right to access abortion care, including transgender and gender nonbinary people; provides consistency across state abortion statute; and eliminates archaic provisions that threaten criminal prosecution against providers for providing abortion care.

“We are witnessing the culmination of a 50-year campaign to destroy abortion access across the country, with the Supreme Court set to undermine this constitutional right in a matter of months. Whatever happens, Hawaiʻi’s abortion providers like Planned Parenthood will be here to provide care to patients –– no matter what,” said Lisa Humes-Schulz, Vice President of Policy & Regulatory Affairs for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. “Hawaiʻi has long been one of the most supportive states for patients seeking abortion care, and SB 2282 becoming law this year means we will keep doing our part. It is critical that the House of Representatives also passes this legislation and sends it to Governor Ige’s desk.”

Particularly critical is this bill’s provision to eliminate outdated portions of state law that threaten criminal punishment for health providers providing safe and basic abortion care. Hawaiʻi already faces an abortion provider shortage, which leads to higher costs, unnecessary travel, long wait times, and delays to time-sensitive care for patients. Threatening criminal punishment against providers singles out and stigmatizes abortion care, forcing providers to weigh the benefits of providing safe health care with the threat of prosecution.

“In a moment where abortion providers across the country are facing increasingly hostile environments and the possibility of prosecution, it is up to Hawaiʻi to do everything we can to ensure abortion care remains protected and available for anyone who needs it,” said Senator Rosalyn Baker, sponsor of SB 2282. “For every state like Texas or Idaho that seeks to limit and restrict access to health care services like abortion, we must be there to answer them and make sure abortion care is accessible in Hawaiʻi.”

 

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Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, Serving AK, HI, ID, IN, KY, WA (PPAA) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization educating residents and policymakers about reproductive health issues in Alaska, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky and Washington. PPAA lobbies and educates to advance Planned Parenthood's mission, and engages in limited electoral activities.