<br><div><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - Surge in women voters ahead of a contentious midterm season due to reversal of Roe"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Women traveling from another state to get an abortion in Hawaii and medical professionals who perform the procedure will be protected from legal punishment under an executive order signed Tuesday by Hawaii Gov. David Ige.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The decision came after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/24/1107126432/abortion-bans-supreme-court-roe-v-wade" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">14 states banned abortion</a> in line with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that overturned Roe v. Wade. In addition, some states are seeking criminal liability for women obtaining an abortion elsewhere as well as medical providers who provide the service. The order takes immediate effect.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">“We will not cooperate with any other state that tries to prosecute women who receive an abortion in Hawaii, and we will not cooperate with any other state that tries to sanction medical professionals who provide abortion in Hawaii,” Ige said at a news conference.</p><figure class="gnt_em gnt_em_img"><img class="gnt_em_img_i" style="height:427px" data-g-r="lazy" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/10/12/USAT/06438d7d-c041-419d-8477-5d6f61100dd8-Governor-David-Ige-executive-order-Reproductive-health-care-v2-640x427.jpeg?width=640&height=427&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp" decoding="async" alt="Gov. David Ige issued an executive order protecting access to reproductive health care services in Hawaii."/></figure><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/06/decision-on-roe-v-wade-will-not-end-abortion-rights-in-hawaii/" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">Hawaii was the first state</a> in the country to legalize abortion in 1970, and Ige pointed out that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol10_Ch0436-0474/HRS0453/HRS_0453-0016.htm" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">the state’s constitution</a> guarantees privacy and personal autonomy.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The abortion bans have prompted some women to travel elsewhere for the medical procedure, drawing threats of legal action against them and those who facilitate the procedure. Texas has imposed a so-called bounty system, allowing ordinary people to sue those involved in the abortions and receive $10,000 if their efforts are successful, according to<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/us/politics/texas-abortion-law-facts.html" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a"> The New York Times</a>.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><strong>ABORTION DESERTS:</strong><a target="_blank" href="/story/news/nation/2022/10/12/carbondale-illinois-abortion-clinic-opens/10459202002/" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">A haven in small-town Illinois takes shape</a></p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><strong>COVERING COSTS:</strong><a target="_blank" href="/story/money/business/2022/07/06/abortion-travel-costs-paid-employers-some-state-want-stop/7820446001/" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">Which companies say they will cover abortion travel costs for employees?</a></p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p...</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2022/10/12/hawaii-legal-abortion-protection/10479545002/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>