S-0763.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5093
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Senate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Dhingra, Wellman, Cleveland, Bateman, Pedersen, C. Wilson, Hasegawa, Liias, Nobles, Salomon, Slatter, Stanford, and Valdez)
READ FIRST TIME 01/24/25.
AN ACT Relating to dignity in pregnancy loss; amending RCW 68.50.010 ; adding a new section to chapter 43.70 RCW; creating a new section; and repealing RCW 9.02.050 .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that every Washingtonian should be treated with respect and dignity after a pregnancy loss and should be able to seek medical assistance without fear of civil or criminal liability. The threat of criminal prosecution of pregnancy outcomes is partly traceable to out-of-date provisions in state law that allow investigations of certain abortions and pregnancy losses. The legislature further finds that removal of these provisions changes neither requirements to report births or deaths, including fetal deaths, or prepare and publish vital statistics under chapter 70.58A RCW, nor the ability of coroners to investigate deaths, including fetal deaths, that may have been caused by unlawful or suspicious circumstances, including violence against the pregnant person, provided such investigations are not used to criminalize the pregnant person who experienced the pregnancy loss or had an abortion.
Sec. 2. RCW 68.50.010 and 2021 c 127 s 7 are each amended to read as follows: