Shield Law signed into law, protecting patients from prosecution

Olympia, WA – Gov. Bob Ferguson has signed Senate Bill 5632, which strengthens the Shield Law passed in 2023 to protect patients seeking reproductive and gender-affirming care from out-of-state prosecutions. The law prohibits state agencies from providing information about protected health care services with another state for the purposes of enforcing that other state’s laws.  
 

Sattie Zapata-Nyachwaya, health policy program director for the ACLU-WA, had the following reaction: 
 

“With the Governor’s signing of updates to the Shield Law, Washington state has once again shown a commitment to protecting bodily autonomy. Senate Bill 5632 strengthens Washington’s Shield Law which passed years ago, ensuring patients who seek reproductive, gender-affirming, or other critical health care in Washington – and those who assist them – are protected from out-of-state investigations and punishment. Personal health decisions should be made between a patient and their doctor without fear of government retribution. This is a victory for everyone who believes in a person’s right to bodily autonomy and deciding which health services work for them. We thank the Legislature and Governor for their leadership.”