The West Coast States have once again united in a dogma that abortion is reproductive freedom. In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s finalizing their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, governors of California, Oregon and Washington issued a Multi-State Commitment to defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, and committed to protecting patients and doctors against efforts by other states to enforce their abortion bans in our states.

Governor Kate Brown commented, “Abortion is health care, and no matter who you are or where you come from, Oregon doesn’t turn away anyone seeking health care. Period. Let me be clear: You cannot ban abortion, you can only ban safe abortions — and this disgraceful Supreme Court decision will undoubtedly put many people’s lives at risk, in addition to stripping away a constitutional right that disproportionately affects women and has been settled law for most of our lifetimes.” She goes on to claim “the fight is not over.”

Oregon House Democrats want to make sure Oregonians know there are strong pro-choice leaders in the Legislature and the Oregon Governor’s office. They are now touting the strongest abortion access laws in the country and have issued a statement titled Fact Sheet: Actions to expand abortion access in Oregon.

The first mentioned fact is that Oregon does not have any of the major types of abortion restrictions—such as waiting periods, mandated parental involvement or limitations on publicly funded abortions—often found in other states.

That’s right parents, your daughter can obtain an abortion and your medical insurance could pay for it without your knowledge.

Now that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, they want Oregonians to know they are committed to further expand access to cover a potential 234% increase in people traveling to the state. A jump from the 9.5% that OHA reports.

What does that mean for Oregon taxpayers? In 2022, Oregon Democrats establish the Reproductive Health Equity Fund, a $15 million bill to expand provider network capacity and address urgent patient care for abortion and practical needs, like travel and lodging, in preparation for an increase of people seeking abortions.

Planned Parenthood promoted the Reproductive Health Equity Fund and has leased medical office space in Ontario, Oregon, on the border of Idaho, to capitalize on Idaho passing a restriction on abortions.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The number of abortions reported in Oregon in 2020 and 2021 were the lowest of any years that OHA has tracked.

The abortion rate has been declining for decades. In the early 1990s they were at 24,000 and by 2011, they dropped to an estimated 14,000 induced abortions performed each year.

Now, the annual number is less than half of that. Preliminary data from 2021 shows about 6,577 abortions were carried out last year.

But with the predicted increase from outside the state, mostly from Idaho, the annual rate will again more than double at around 15,400.

The new movement in Portland, Stop Having Kids, failed to read the CDC report which details that both births and abortions decreased during the coronavirus pandemic. The abortion rate is certainly more than a religious concern. The birth rate to have a sustainable population is 2.1 per woman. In the U.S. that has dropped to 1.6, the lowest rate on record.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-06-24 16:11:26

Last Update: 2022-06-24 17:03:57