By State Representative Rob Nosse
It was a tough call about what I should write about last month. While this is a bit of “old news” at this point, it is going to be topical for a long time. On June 22, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of federal abortion rights. We knew this was coming because of the leaked opinion that came out in advance of the official decision back in May.
Since 1973, Roe had guaranteed the right to have abortions during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. The Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe, means more than half the states in the US are expected to outlaw or severely restrict abortion access. Indeed, eight states banned abortion on the day of the decision and five more states have in place “trigger bans” designed to prohibit abortion within 30 days of the ruling.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, a non-governmental organization that seeks to improve reproductive health worldwide, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion as a result of the court’s decision. In a future column I will probably talk about the implications for other rights we have enjoyed as a result of the Dobbs decision.
I was dismayed by the Supreme Court’s decision. As a man, I strongly believe that every woman/person has the right to choose what to do with their own body. The right to exercise control over one’s reproductive life is a central component of individual freedom and forcing someone to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term strips them of their autonomy and infringes upon their personhood. Whatever one believes about the moral status of fetuses and embryos, the decision to have an abortion should be made by women/patients and their doctors, not by the government.
Furthermore, research suggests that restricting abortion access does not result in fewer abortions, but rather compels women to risk their health and lives by relying on unsafe abortion methods. Ultimately, the overturning of Roe not only represents a massive step back in our fight for equality and justice but also endangers public health while failing to significantly reduce the number of abortions that occur.
Fortunately, Oregon’s abortion protections are some of the strongest in the country, which means Oregonians do not have to worry about losing access to abortion services now that Roe has been overturned–provided we keep voting for politicians that support access to abortion.
In 2017, Oregon passed the Reproductive Health Equity Act. It guarantees all Oregonians, regardless of income, citizenship status, gender identity or type of insurance, access to reproductive health services, including abortion, family planning and postpartum care. Furthermore, abortions are also covered under the state’s Medicaid program.
In 2018, Oregon voters decisively rejected a ballot measure seeking to ban the use of public funds on abortions. Most recently, the Oregon legislature appropriated $15 million to the Reproductive Health Equity Fund to provide immediate support, including travel expenses and lodging, for people seeking abortions in Oregon.
I am proud to represent a state which has worked to protect the right to abortion and I support efforts to make the procedure more accessible for all Oregonians. I voted for the Reproductive Health Equity Act in 2017, and I played a role as member of the budget committee in securing $15 million for the Reproductive Health Equity Fund.
Almost immediately after the Dobbs decision was announced, Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield formed a work group of providers, clinics, community organizations and legislators to make policy, budget and administrative recommendations to strengthen equitable access to reproductive care and abortion services for the coming session in January of 2023.
I also hope other states with Democratic majorities will work to codify abortion protections in their laws, much like Oregon. My heart goes out to women in states such as Louisiana and Ohio (the state where I was born and raised). Both states that have already banned most abortions, which means women may be forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term if they are unable to travel out of state to get an abortion and do not wish to resort to illegal or unsafe abortion methods.
We as a country must do better. It is important, too, that those of us in states where abortion access exists do not become complacent. Some Republicans are already calling for a nationwide abortion ban, with CNN recently reporting that Congressional Republican leaders are already lining up to support legislation that would impose a nationwide ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. All of us who want to see abortion access protected must remain vigilant and politically active. The President and the Vice President are right. We are going to need to vote.
