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SALEM, Pray. – The Governors of California, Oregon and Washington presented a multi-state commitment “to defend access to reproductive health, including abortion, contraceptives, and pledged to protect patients and physicians against efforts by other states to enforce their abortion bans in our states,” the comment comes Friday following the U.S. Supreme Court’s annulment of the right to abortion in Roe v. Wade.
“For all Americans today who feel scared, angry and disappointed, for all who need an abortion and don’t know where they can access a reproductive health care facility, know that you are not alone,” said the governor of Oregon. , Kate Brown, in a statement. “And the fight is not over.”
Brown signed the Oregon Reproductive Health Equity Act in 2017. The bill “expanded access to reproductive health services for all Oregonians and codified the right to abortion into state law,” according to the Oregonian’s office. governor. “In addition, Oregon invested $15 million in community organizations to expand abortion access statewide and provide immediate support to patients, health care providers and community advocates, with a focus on rural communities, communities of color and communities low-income families to overcome barriers to access.
Comment from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee:
“The law remains unchanged in Washington state, but the threat to patient access and privacy has never been more dangerous. Even in Washington state, Republicans have introduced about 40 bills in the last six years to roll back abortion rights and access to reproductive care,” said Washington Governor Jay Inslee. “The right of election should not depend on which party has the majority, but that is where we are. More than half of the country’s population now lacks safe access to a medical procedure that only a patient and her doctor can and should perform themselves. Instead, law enforcement, vigilantes, and court systems can force patients to bear the burden of forced pregnancy and childbirth. The state of Washington remains steadfast in our commitment to protect the ability and right of every patient who comes to our state for abortion services, and we will fight like mad to restore that right to patients across the country.”
Comment from California Governor Gavin Newsom:
“The Supreme Court has made it clear: They want to strip women of their freedom and allow Republican states to replace it with compulsory birth because the right to choose an abortion is not ‘deeply rooted in history.’ They want to turn back the clock to a time when women had no right to make decisions about their own bodies, when women had to seek care in the dark and at great risk, when women were not treated as equal citizens under the law. This is yet another devastating step toward taking away the rights and freedoms that Americans have fought for on the battlefields, in the courthouses, and on Capitol Hill. This is not the America we know, and it’s not the California way,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom. “California has joined Oregon and Washington in standing up for women and protecting access to reproductive health care. We will not stand by and allow patients who seek reproductive care in our states or the doctors who provide that care to be intimidated into criminal prosecution. We refuse to return and will fight like mad to protect our rights and our values.”