Hawaii is making it known that the state is a safe haven for those seeking an abortion. Women traveling from another state to get an abortion in Hawaii are protected from legal punishment under a new executive order. Similarly, medical professionals performing procedures are also protected under the ruling.

Honolulu Civil Beat reported that Hawaii Governor David Ige signed the order in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade over the summer. The reversal of Roe v. Wade led to fourteen states banning abortion. Another nine states have bans on hold.

“We will not cooperate with any other state that tries to prosecute women who receive an abortion in Hawaii, and we will not cooperate with any other state that tries to sanction medical professionals who provide abortion in Hawaii,” Ige said at a news conference.

A Woman’s Right to Choose

Hawaii became the first state in the U.S. to legalize abortions in 1970. Under Hawaii law, the state cannot deny or interfere with a woman’s right to choose or obtain an abortion of a nonviable fetus or an abortion “that is necessary” to protect the life or health of the female.

“Despite the ruling, I can assure you that women in Hawaii will continue to have access to the healthcare they need, and that includes abortion,” Ige said in a statement. “Hawaii law already protects the right of individuals to make their own deeply personal reproductive health decisions, including the right to seek abortion care. I will do everything in my power to ensure that women retain control over their own reproductive choices.”

Gov. Ige joins the governors of Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, who have adopted similar provisions this year protecting reproductive health services provided in their states.

To be clear: Abortion is legal in Hawaiʻi.

We won’t provide information about any medical provider who provides the service. And we won’t provide any information about family members or friends who help.
— Governor David Ige (@GovHawaii) October 11, 2022

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