Abortions News: How Oregon Attempts to Cut Funding for Abortion Failed

Oregon

This year, an initiated constitutional amendment to prohibit public funding for abortion except to save the life of the mother failed to obtain the 116,284 signatures to be on the November ballot. Oregon law will, for now, remain unchanged. women on the Oregon Health Plan can obtain abortions when a medical provider deems the procedure medically necessary. Neither will an Oregon Personhood amendment see the light of day. After the Oregon Supreme Court forced the Secretary of State to change the amendment’s ballot title to clarify its impact on contraception and infertility treatment, Personhood organizers did not turn in any signatures. It's not their first defeat; Personhood did not appear on Oregon ballots in 2010, either.

On October 23, a man was stabbed by an anti-abortion protester outside of a Planned Parenthood while defending his 22-year-old daughter, who had earlier exchanged words with and was shoved by said protester. A heated State House race has the Democratic Party of Oregon throwing half-true accusations of restricting reproductive rights at a Republican Right-to-Life-endorsed candidate. The Republican in question, incumbent Matt Wand, voted for a bill that would have placed restrictions on clinics providing abortions by classifying them as “ambulatory surgical centers.” His opponent, Chris Gorsek, is endorsed by the Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon.

California

Editor's Note: With 2 days left until the presidential election, PolicyMic's Audrey Farber will be posting a daily update on the state of abortion rights in the U.S., covering legislative challenges to Roe v. Wade in all 50 states. So far, we've gotten updates on:

Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana ,Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Michigan, Indiana, Alabama,Ohio, Florida, Georgia, D.C., South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts & Rhode Island, Maine & New Hampshire. Check back in every day to keep track!