The Governor of Oregon, Kate Brown, has signed into law today a legislation that expands abortion access for everyone by leaps and bounds and regardless of citizenship status.
Developed by the Pro-Choice Coalition of Oregon with input from experienced legislative writers, the new law makes Oregon the first state to establish comprehensive, state-funded reproductive health coverage for women categorically excluded from Medicaid based on citizenship status; the first to codify no-cost abortion coverage in state statute; and the first to stand up to the Trump administration and congressional Republicans by putting the entire list of women’s health services covered without cost-sharing under the Affordable Care Act into state statute.
The legislation also bans discrimination against those who identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming so that all people who can become pregnant have access to reproductive health care.
As reported by The Daily Caller:
Brown hailed the law as the most progressive abortion legislation in history, the AP reports. It requires that all taxpayers, save a small minority eligible for religious exemptions, fund free abortions for anyone, for any reason, at any time. The law also provides for STI tests, cancer screenings, vasectomies and other reproductive health services.
Oregon Senate Republican communications director Jonathan Lockwood pointed out the law also allows for sex selective and late term abortions in a statement provided to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Everyone in America needs to see Oregon’s former late-term abortion lobbyist governor Kate Brown just forced Oregonians to fund against their will late-term and sex-selective abortions. Watch out, this is coming to a state near you,” the statement reads.
The law mandates that insurers offer a plethora of reproductive services free of cost to anyone and provides $10 million in additional state Medicaid funding to offset the cost. It allocates $500,000 specifically toward providing coverage to immigrants that don’t qualify under Oregon’s Health Plan.