The issue of women's health has been under attack in legislatures around the country. Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, said during a conference call Thursday that a bill he's sponsoring ensures that women in Washington will not see their access to health care be compromised.

The Reproductive Parity Act, Senate Bill 5009, which was reintroduced Wednesday and sponsored by Hobbs, will require insurance companies that pay for maternity care to also cover abortions.

“It’s imperative that we create this protection for women in order to ensure their constitutional right of choice and more importantly, for their health,” Hobbs said. “We have seen in some states an erosion of women’s health and choice and what we want to ensure is that there’s a firewall against that erosion.”

With big changes to health care on the horizon with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2014, the Reproductive Parity Act is necessary to ensure that every insurance carrier in the state, all of which currently cover abortion, continue to do so.

"Washington women need the freedom and privacy to make the healthcare decisions that are right for themselves and their families,” said Melanie Smith, a representative of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington.