Washington state's Democrats start planning in wake of Roe v Wade overturn

Local democratic leaders are laying out their strategy to secure abortion rights in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

It involves new laws, more funding, and increasing the number of Democrats in power.

U.S. representative Pramila Jayapal says she and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have been texting back and forth about a package of new bills. But Jayapal says they’d have to get past the senate.

“So what we must do is elect two more Democratic pro-choice senators who are willing to overturn the filibuster or at a minimum carve out important exceptions to protect our rights," Jayapal said.

Jayapal said she wants to codify "rights" the Supreme Court may examine next, such as rights protecting contraceptives and same-sex marriage.

Meanwhile, the Washington state Democratic Party is also looking for ways to secure a two-thirds majority for their party so it can be large enough to amend the state constitution.

But Washington's Republican Party says Democrats are "posturing ... and making abortion a central campaign issue to distract from their record on public safety and affordability."