Agenda Item: 4a 
Meeting Date: July 12, 2022 
PROCLAMATION 
OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION 
WHEREAS, in 1970 Washington State voters approved Referendum 20, which legalized 
abortion in Washington State; and 
WHEREAS, on January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (7–2) in Roe v. Wade that
unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional. The Court held
that a set of Texas statutes criminalizing abortion in most instances violated a
woman’s constitutional right of privacy, which it found to be implicit in the
liberty guarantee of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,
“…nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law”; and 
WHEREAS, in 1991, Washington State voters approved Initiative 120, which declared a
woman's right to choose physician-performed abortion prior to fetal viability and
further expanded and protected access to abortion in the state if Roe v. Wade was
overturned; and 
WHEREAS, comprehensive abortion care is included in the list of essential health care services
published by the World Health Organization in 2020; and 
WHEREAS, according to the World Health Organization, “[l]ack of access to safe, affordable,
timely and respectful abortion care, and the stigma associated with abortion, pose
risks to women’s physical and mental well-being throughout the life-course.
Inaccessibility of quality abortion care risks violating a range of human rights of
women and girls, including the right to life; the right to the highest attainable
standard of physical and mental health; the right to benefit from scientific
progress and its realization; the right to decide freely and responsibly on the
number, spacing and timing of children; and the right to be free from torture,
cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment”; and 
WHEREAS, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States used their decision in
Dobbs vs. Jackson Woman’s Health Organization to strike down Roe v. Wade,
ruling that the Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment do not apply to an individual’s right to safe and legal abortions; and

          WHEREAS, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade effectively
removes bodily autonomy from women, girls, transgender and gender nonconfirming
people with uteruses nationwide who can no longer seek abortion
care, a vital form of health care, and creates risk for future judicial interpretations
that erode protections for contraception and marriage equality; and
WHEREAS, this decision unilaterally targets people who can get pregnant and will disparately
create barriers to living their full potential, as access to abortion care directly
impacts their socio-economic, educational and health outcomes and impacts their
quality of life; and 
WHEREAS, the long-standing harm institutionalized racism and barriers to healthcare access
have on communities of color will exacerbate inequities impacting racial
minorities and undocumented individuals seeking abortion care; and 
WHEREAS, the mission of the Port of Seattle is to promote economic opportunities and quality
of life in the region by advancing trade, travel, commerce and job creation in an
equitable, accountable and environmentally responsible manner; and 
WHEREAS, the Port has already established, through Resolution No. 3747, a Welcoming Port
Policy Directive that commits our organization to being safe, secure, welcoming,
accessible to all, and supportive of those who use our facilities; and 
WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle supports an individual’s right to reproductive healthcare,
including abortion, and marriage equality; and 
WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle, as a point of entry for people across the nation, welcomes
anyone traveling to Washington State, regardless of immigration status, for
access to safe abortion care; and 
WHEREAS, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee officially stated his support for an
amendment to protect an individual’s right to safe and legal abortion in the
Washington State Constitution. 
NOW, THEREFORE, the Port of Seattle Commission hereby adopts this proclamation to
express its official position in support of an amendment to the Washington State Constitution and
passage of a federal law to both codify an individual’s right to comprehensive, safe, and accessible
reproductive healthcare, including abortion, as well as marriage equality.

              Proclaimed by the Port of Seattle Commission this ___ day of __________, 20__.

Port of Seattle Commission 




Port of Seattle Commission