As expected, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday struck down Roe v. Wade, overturning a half-century precedent that provided a constitutional right to abortion, The New York Times reported.
“After today, we will see the very real and dangerous consequences across the country of taking away the right to safe and legal abortions,” Oregon’s junior U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley said in a statement.
He added:
“I’m proud to be from a state like Oregon, where we have made it clear we will stand strong for the right to compassionate reproductive care.”
Ahead of the decision, Oregon leaders positioned the state as a protector of abortion rights not only for its residents but for those of neighboring Idaho as well.
Pregnant people’s access to abortion, whether by prescription or surgery, is expected to remain broadly available, including being covered by the Oregon Health Plan and free to undocumented immigrants, due to previous decisions by the Oregon Legislature.
It is extremely unlikely that any new abortion limits would be passed in Oregon, where Democratic majorities in the Legislature and Democratic Gov. Kate Brown in 2017 passed a law that explicitly protects the right to an abortion in the event that the high court were to overturn Roe. Brown and former House Speaker Tina Kotek, now the Democratic nominee for governor, have said they view that law among the signature pieces of legislation they championed.
House Bill 5202, passed during the Legislature earlier this year, provided $15 million to establish what backers named the Oregon Reproductive Equity Fund. The money will be used to help patients in parts of Oregon without easy access to reproductive services obtain abortions by paying for the services as well as logistical help including lodging and travel. It also could be used to fund abortions and associated travel and lodging costs for pregnant people from Idaho and elsewhere.
When a leaked draft of the court’s decision allowing states to severely limit access to abortions went public in May, politicians across Oregon responded, with Democrats who hold the reins of power vowing to fight the loss of a constitutional right that has been in place for nearly a half-century.
This is a breaking story; updates are forthcoming.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
