SEATTLE — The executive in the county surrounding Seattle said Tuesday its sheriff’s office and other executive branch departments will not cooperate with out-of-state prosecutions of abortion providers or patients.
King County Executive Dow Constantine’s executive order signed Tuesday follows a similar one from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, The Seattle Times reported.
Inslee last week signed a directive prohibiting the Washington State Patrol from cooperating with out-of-state abortion investigations or prosecutions.
Inslee, in signing his directive, said he didn’t have jurisdiction over local law enforcement agencies. Now the state’s largest county has barred its law enforcement from aiding other states’ abortion investigations.
Constantine’s order cites a “moral and policy imperative not to assist states and other outside organizations and individuals seeking to infringe the rights of persons who obtain health care in King County.”