Anticipating the overturn of Roe v. Wade, in May Oregon House Majority Leader Julie Fahey (D-West Eugene) and Representative Andrea Valderrama (D-East Portland) met with White House officials and state legislators from California, Washington, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Connecticut to discuss preparations and legislation to protect and expand abortion access.

Now their worst fears are materializing as some states across the country are proposing to ban abortion. Democrat legislators were falling all over themselves rushing to issue statements. Without exception, they all expressed an outrage at this decision to put the power in states to save innocent lives.

Representative Fahey stated: “We are prepared for this moment in Oregon because for the last decade, Oregonians have elected Democratic majorities to our Legislature. During my first term in 2017, I was proud to chief sponsor the Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA), one of the strongest abortion access laws in the country. RHEA codified the right to an abortion in state law and made the full range of reproductive health care services more affordable and accessible for all Oregonians. And this year we’ve taken even more action to close existing gaps, expand provider capacity and support for patients traveling to the state for care.”

House Speaker Dan Rayfield offered his conflicting statement after voting to mandate vaccinations. “This decision takes away the ability of Americans to control their own bodies and lives, and turns that power over to politicians. All individuals should have the right to make the most personal and private decisions that affect their lives, their health, and their families.”

Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) stated that “Pro-Choice states like Oregon are now the last line of defense to protect abortion and reproductive health care rights. It’s more important than ever to elect leaders that will protect abortion and reproductive health care. Our Democratic majority is the dividing line.”

Senator Akasha Lawrence Spence (D-Portland) said “The impact of overturning Roe will be felt largely by Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people, youth of color under 25, disabled people, immigrants, people living with low incomes, and people in rural areas— communities who have long faced barriers to abortion access due to systemic barriers and discrimination.”

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

As part of a statement for the BIPOC Caucus (Legislative Black, Indigenous, People of Color), Co-Vice Chair Representative Andrea Valderrama (D-Portland) said, “With over 530 abortion restrictions introduced in states this year, fighting to make abortion care accessible to our most directly impacted pregnant people in Oregon and in neighboring states with active bans is a critical step towards dismantling systems of white supremacy and patriarchy.”

Representative Travis Nelson (D-Portland) declared that “At a time when the Black maternal mortality rate is nearly three times higher than the general population, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court is placing their extreme agenda over the lives of communities who already face systemic barriers to critical and essential care.”

Senate President Pro Tempore James Manning (D-Eugene) must have forgot his push for people to vaccinate when he stated, “Abortion bans disproportionately harm Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other people of color. We must continue to develop Oregon’s reproductive health care infrastructure and build on Oregon’s legacy of abortion access to ensure every Oregonian controls their body and their future.”

Senator Kayse Jama (D-Portland) stated, “Not only does this action set our nation back almost 50 years, from abortion to voting rights to gun control to the criminal justice system, this far-right Court has made it increasingly clear that the rights once thought fundamental to our Democracy are merely an illusory set of freedoms that can be removed by the stroke of a pen.”

Senator Deb Patterson (D-Salem), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health Care said, “I remember how terrifying it was for women to seek abortions before Roe v. Wade. We cannot go back.”

Democrat governor candidate, Tina Kotek, also conflicted her actions in the legislature supporting mandatory vaccines by her statement, “Our right to control our own bodies and futures has been gutted. I’m furious. I’m deeply concerned for women around the country.”

Unaffilated candidate Betsy Johnson stated, “I am pro-choice. This is a bedrock issue for me, and frankly, for Oregon. A fundamental right.”

Republican governor candidate Christine Drazan then pointed out that “Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, Oregon will continue to have among the most extreme abortion laws in the country and around the world. As governor, I will stand up for life by vetoing legislation designed to push Oregon further outside the mainstream.”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-06-26 06:43:34

Last Update: 2022-06-25 17:19:47