May 1, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rose King, rose@heartsmindscomm.com, Blair Stenvick, blair@basicrights.org,
Leading advocates applaud Oregon House passage of
Reproductive Health and Access to Care bill
HB 2002 addresses existing gaps in access to care, creates added protections for people who seek and provide the full spectrum of reproductive and gender-affirming care
Salem, Ore. — LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and civil rights advocates applauded lawmakers today for taking an important step to protect patients and providers following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and advance health equity. By a vote of 36 to 23, the Oregon House advanced the Reproductive Health and Access to Care bill (Oregon House Bill 2002).
Last year’s Dobbs decision from the United States Supreme Court overturned 50 years of precedent and the constitutional right to an abortion. Since the decision, many Americans face jail time for seeking abortion care, along with the doctors, nurses and other providers who provide that care. At the same time, state governments across the country are working to ban and even criminalize transgender healthcare. The Reproductive Health and Access to Care bill is Oregon’s urgent response to protect, strengthen, and expand equitable access to reproductive and gender-affirming care that has been under attack at the state and federal levels. Since Dobbs, 11 other states have passed or are considering legislation to help ensure that patients can safely access abortion, and that providers can continue offering this critical care.
HB 2002 is based on science and medical best practices, and has earned the support of more than 70 stakeholders including local community organizations, health providers and health clinics, national legal experts, patients, and advocates. The legislation:
Protects providers’ and health centers' ability to deliver care to all patients who seek gender-affirming and reproductive health care in Oregon.
Expands access to gender-affirming, reproductive, and sexual health care for rural Oregonians, low-income folks, students, and all those in our community who experience barriers to care.
Ensures that no one can ever be criminalized for their reproductive health decisions and pregnancy outcomes.
Following the loss of basic constitutional protections, assaults on fundamental rights and freedom have intensified in Oregon and across the nation. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 24 states have banned abortion or are likely to do so without protections from Roe. At the same time, states across the nation have also taken steps to ban and restrict access to gender-affirming care, denying transgender and gender-expansive people life-saving medical care. Analysis from the ACLU shows that state lawmakers have introduced more than 460 bills this session to restrict life-saving gender-affirming health care.
In addition to HB 2002, advocates are also pushing the Oregon Legislature to pass Equal Rights for All (Senate Joint Resolution 33) which puts an Oregon constitutional amendment on the November 2024 ballot. Advocates call SJR 33 an opportunity for voters to enshrine fundamental rights and freedoms in the Oregon Constitution and put a judiciary backstop in place for future attacks. The Oregon constitutional amendment currently awaits a vote in the Oregon Senate after getting voted out of the Senate Committee on Rules last week.
Proponents of the Reproductive Health and Access to Care bill (HB 2002) issued the following statements:
Sandy Chung, executive director at the ACLU of Oregon said:
“Oregon has led the country with laws that promote democracy and protect our rights and freedoms and today's vote affirms that we are a beacon of hope. Thank you to lawmakers for their ongoing commitment to justice, equity, and care by supporting all Oregonian’s access to essential health care, including abortion, contraceptives, and gender affirming care by passing HB 2002”.
Todd Addams, interim executive director of Basic Rights Oregon said:
“In a year when transgender healthcare and LGBTQ2SIA+ existence is being targeted and criminalized across the country, we’re so grateful that Oregon lawmakers continue to lead with Oregon values. Every Oregonian deserves access to life-saving medical care, and we know doctors should make decisions based on medical best practices—not politics. HB 2002 will change lives and save lives, and we applaud each representative who voted for it today.”
Jennifer Williamson, Interim Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon said:
"In the wake of Dobbs, this legislation is needed now more than ever to protect providers’ ability to deliver essential health care, and expand access to abortion and gender-affirming care for patients who need it the most. Oregon lawmakers have made clear that in our state, we trust people to make their own health care decisions. Thank you to the House for putting the health and safety of our communities first by passing House Bill 2002.”
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Journalists can access the following resources for covering abortion and gender-affirming care:
https://www.glaad.org/reference
https://www.ustranssurvey.org/reports
https://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender
https://www.liberateabortion.org/resourcehub