Washington budget makes biggest cut to abortion funding in state’s history

Washington lawmakers passed a budget on Sunday that abortion businesses say will cut $8.5 million cut from the state’s Abortion Access Project — a 55% decrease in abortion funding from the previous year. The cut is reportedly the largest reduction in abortion funding in the state’s history.

Previously, the state’s taxpayer funding of abortion through the Abortion Access Project paid salaries for abortionists, abortion travel expenses, training for abortionists, and security upgrades for abortion facilities. According to KOMO News, the Abortion Access Project was created to help fund the increased demand for abortion in the state after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. A study from the University of Washington in 2024 found that the number of out-of-state residents seeking abortions in the state had increased by 50% since the overturning of Roe in 2022.

Jennifer M. Allen, CEO of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, called the budget reduction “devastating.”

“By moving forward with an $8.5 million cut to the Abortion Access Project — the biggest in our state’s history — the legislature is turning its back on the patients, providers, and communities who count on Washington as a leader on access to abortion care. This decision will strain our health care system, deepen inequities, and risk lives,” she said, adding, “Budgets are moral documents. A cut to abortion access funding should never have been on the table. We will not stop fighting to fund the care that patients deserve and protect access to abortion care for all who need it.”

Despite the cut in funding, Washington state has a history of enacting pro-abortion policies. The state’s Governor, Bob Ferguson, wasted no time after his inauguration in January 2025 in signing an executive order promising his support for the expansion of abortion. With the action, he appeared to follow in the footsteps of former Governor Jay Inslee, who left behind him a pro-abortion legacy.

The budget next heads to the desk of Governor Ferguson, who has indicated that he supports it.