If Roe v. Wade falls, what does that mean for Washington?

A draft opinion published late Monday by Politico indicates the Supreme Court is likely to strike down Roe v. Wade in the near future.

That's the landmark 1973 ruling that guarantees federal protection of abortion rights across the United States.

Now, draft opinions are just that — nothing is set in stone yet. But should it happen, this ruling would mean abortion would be banned or restricted in as many as 28 states.

Today we're dedicating the hour to talking about the implications of the fall of Roe in the Pacific Northwest. And how local supporters of abortion rights are responding.

A note before we get started -- today's show includes mention of sexual assault, rape, incest, suicide and forced pregnancy.

Soundside caught up with KUOW's Casey Martin while he was at Westlake Park to learn what he had heard from politicians and protestors.

Overall, he said the groups seemed unified in their desire to protect abortion access in Washington. But they fear for their neighboring states and the country as a whole.

"I heard about Idaho all day today," Martin said. "People are really worried about what might happen in that state, or Montana. People have family and other states — in the Midwest or in the Deep South. And they said, 'I'm out here for all of the United States, not just for Washington state.'"

To understand the legal implications and ripple effect of overturning Roe v. Wade, even in a state like Washington, we turned to Sital Kalantry, a law professor at Seattle University. Kalantry is the author of "Women’s Human Rights and Migration: Sex-Selective Abortion Law in India and the United States."

Kalantry said this decision could just be the start for the Supreme Court.

"This opens up a new Pandora's box for five people in this country who strongly oppose many progressive rights to change the whole dynamics in this country," she said.

Kalantry said the decision could lead to more extreme moves from states on both sides of the aisle.

"It's the new battleground, these interstate jurisdiction questions, because when you have states who are committed pro-choice and states who are committed anti-abortion, they're going to escalate," she said.

Jennifer Allen, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, joined Soundside to discuss how her organization has prepared for this moment.

"We've been preparing for this for a long time because it is that predictable," Allen said. "We've always been contemplating a what a post-Roe scenario could look like. So certainly, there is a frenzy of interest right now based on the leaked draft opinion by the Supreme Court. However, I will also say that our health-care providers in our health centers, our operations team, our educators, they're doing this work every day, they were ready to hear news like this."

Allen said Planned Parenthood is ready to continue providing services, and keep pushing for abortion rights.

"There's no reason not to say that we stand for abortion rights," Allen said. "There's no reason to be ashamed of standing for abortion rights."

Mercedes Sanchez, the director of communications for Cedar River Clinics, a Washington-based abortion provider, said that, like Planned Parenthood, Cedar Rivers wasn't shocked by the news. But it was still an emotional blow for the organization.

"It was still devastating, to see the reality of it," Sanchez said. "There was lots of anger, grief. And then I think that has changed now into resolve and kind of an energizing feeling that we need to protect people."

Cedar Rivers generally serves around 5,000 clients a year, Sanchez said. They also offer other reproductive health-care services — such as vasectomies, exams and cancer screenings.

But Sanchez said they're expecting that number of clients to rise — they've already been seeing more out-of-state clients since Texas enacted a six-week abortion ban. Because, Sanchez said, independent clinics like Cedar River handle over half of all abortions nationally, and that number continues to grow.

"Most independent clinics offer both medication and and surgical abortions," Sanchez said. "And they're also more vulnerable to closure. And in some cases, many of them are the only clinics in their states."

Hearing from you

Yesterday, we asked you for your stories of life before Roe v. Wade. And you answered.

As we process the impending *potential* end of the federal guarantee of abortion rights, we'll hear your experiences during the show today.

A warning — these stories involve mentions of rape, sexual assault, and forced pregnancy.

"I have the experience of being an abortion doula at Planned Parenthood. I am horrified that I will be able to tell that story to younger people and my children; that I used to participate in helping give access to women for abortion, and that's no longer the case."

"Roe v. Wade has saved peoples lives. Roe v. Wade has helped people to continue with their education so that they can better support themselves later on, and that they can have careers and jobs that they can then support having a healthy child when they're ready, mentally, physically, emotionally."

Thank you to everyone that shared their story with us.