States with abortion rights expect to see surge in out-of-state patients — and protesters
The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has set the stage for a pending border battle between states that have opposite views on abortion. Washington state recently expanded abortion rights, while neighboring Idaho is ready to impose some of the nation's strictest bans.
Pro-life protesters were stationed outside a clinic in Spokane, Washington. The state has 40 abortion clinics in comparison to Idaho, which only has three.
"They're here nearly every day," said Karl Eastlund of Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho. "They're constantly trying to intimidate and badger our employees. We've had protesters follow staff home."
In a statement, Idaho's governor Friday praised the Supreme Court for defending "preborn babies who deserve protection."
In opposition, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said, "We are going to fight like hell to keep Washington a pro-choice state!"
Washington is expecting to see a nearly 400% increase in abortion patients, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Planned Parenthood also added that nearly 60% of those coming to Washington for care are from Idaho. Others have driven more than 20 hours from Texas.
Elisabeth Keifer-Kraus, a mother of two, told CBS News she's thankful she did not have to travel to another state to get an abortion. She said life-threatening conditions caused her to terminate two early pregnancies.
"I did not have the time, I would have died bleeding out in a car on the side of the road trying to get somewhere that would help me. And that is the future we are about to face," Keifer-Kraus said.
Nationwide, assaults against abortion providers are up 128%, according to the National Abortion Federation.
"My husband put it this way: 'How does it feel to work somewhere where 70% of the population thinks that you're the devil?'" said Nicole Weiss, a Planned Parenthood provider.
A Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho clinic was vandalized last July. Now, employees are preparing for the worst.
"We have our own local security director, we work with a national security team, we have contract security onsite, and we absolutely do drills and work with our staff to make sure they're ready," Eastlund said.
"It very much feels like there's a doomsday clock ticking somewhere, and we just don't know when it's gonna go off — and that's terrifying," said Sarah Dixit of Planned Parenthood Spokane.