By Lois Anderson
Editor’s note. My family and I will be on vacation through August 25. I will occasionally add new items but for the most part we will repost “the best of the best” — the stories our readers have told us they especially liked over the last ten months.
Editor’s note. The following is based on an analysis provided yesterday by Oregon Right to Life, supplemented by comments Oregon RTL made last month after the bill passed the state House of Representatives.
Pro-abortion Gov. Kate Brown
On Tuesday Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed House Bill 3391 into law. HB 3391 solidifies Oregon’s unfortunate status as the most radically pro-abortion state in America. Abortions must now be covered 100 percent by all insurance policies, without a copay or deductible.
HB 3391 also establishes a $10 million fund for illegal immigrants’ reproductive “care,” of which $500 thousand is estimated to be spent covering abortions.
For anyone covered by Providence Health Plan, the only company in Oregon with plans not covering elective abortion, abortion expenses can now be fully reimbursed by the state.
Unfortunately, abortion-supporting legislators included an emergency clause in the bill preventing it from being sent before voters. However, we are already working with lawyers on a legal challenge to the bill. As this effort develops will keep you up-to-date.
Prior to the Senate vote, the floor debate in the House was contentious, with many Republicans speaking up in opposition. All Republicans and one Democrat voted no. Below are some statements made by pro-life State Representatives:
- Rep. Bill Post: “This is already being done in Oregon…The total number of [abortion] procedures is now as of 2014 47,000…. Total cost [is] just over $22 million dollars.”
- Rep. Werner Reschke: “Will House Bill 3391 increase or decrease the number of abortions in the state of Oregon? If it will decrease the number then sign me up. But I’m afraid we all know that’s not the case.”
- Rep Jodi Hack: “Owning a business in Oregon is tough…. It concerns me that this narrow definition that we’ve defined here today puts at risk someone’s first amendment right and their ability to decide with their religious convictions what’s right for them….”
- Rep. Mike Nearman: “We don’t need to do this. This is Oregon. There [are] no legal restrictions on anyone’s right to get an abortion. None. You can get an abortion at any time for any reason. Even sex-selection.”
This is a sad day to be sure, but we must keep fighting to make abortion unthinkable in Oregon, despite how free or legal it may be.
Because everyone deserves an advocate.
Editor’s note. Lois Anderson is Executive Director Designate for Oregon Right to Life, NRLC’s state affiliate.