OREGON
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2021
Roe v. Wade
fate could
impact
Oregonians
By APRIL EHRLICH
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — Last week,
U.S. Supreme Court jus-
tices seemed they might
side with a Mississippi law
banning abortions after
15 weeks — or even over-
turn Roe v. Wade, the 1973
decision that legalized the
procedures in the United
States.
What does that mean for
Oregonians’ access to legal
abortion?
Oregon codifi ed its own
version of Roe v. Wade pro-
tections with the Repro-
ductive Health Equity Act
of 2017. That law expanded
reproductive health cov-
erage to people regardless
of their immigration status,
and it required Oregon pri-
vate health insurance plans
to cover abortions with no
out-of-pocket costs.
So if Roe v. Wade were
overturned, Oregon would
still have its own laws
allowing abortions. But
abortion rights advocates
say many Oregonians —
particularly those in remote,
rural areas — will have
diminished access to those
services.
“We are seen as one of
the most pro-choice states
in the nation,” said Christel
Allen, executive director
of Pro-Choice Oregon. “It
does not mean that Oregon
is a place where everyone
is able to access care in
their community, quality
care, (or) care that’s cul-
turally informed. It does
mean that as far as legal
protections, we are sitting
in a much better position
of privilege than so many
other states.”
Twenty-one states —
including Idaho, Oregon’s
neighbor to the east — are
poised to automatically
ban or severely restrict
abortions if the Supreme
Court overturns Roe v.
Wade. Idaho cities like
Boise or Meridian are cur-
rently the closest loca-
tions where many eastern
Oregonians can access
abortion services. The St.
Alphonsus Medical Center
in Ontario, which is on
the Idaho border, doesn’t
provide abortions, as is
the case with many other
major medical clinics in
Eastern Oregon, which are
affi liated with religious
groups that oppose the
procedures.
Without access in
Idaho, people in Ontario
would need to drive three
hours north to receive ser-
vices in Washington or
four hours west to Bend.
Those locations might also
get patients driving several
more hours from Idaho.
The Idaho ban would
include some exceptions,
like in cases of rape or
incest, or to save the moth-
er’s life. The law would
take eff ect 30 days after a
court decision.
Allen said Pro-Choice
Oregon is promoting con-
versations around estab-
lishing telemedicine in
remote areas like Eastern
Oregon so patients can
more easily access repro-
ductive services remotely,
whether through coun-
seling or prescriptions for
abortion pills.
“It’s work that is so
important now more than
ever because we really are
going to be a haven and a
sanctuary for people who
won’t be able to get this
type of care in their own
communities and who will
need to travel here,” Allen
said.
THE OBSERVER — A7
Buehler endorses independent in governor’s race
By GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Knute Bue-
hler, the 2018 Repub-
lican nominee for gov-
ernor, endorsed Sen. Betsy
Johnson, who is running
an insurgent independent
campaign for governor in
2022.
Johnson’s campaign
released a “dear friends”
letter from Buehler to past
supporters on Tuesday.
“I am endorsing Betsy
Johnson for
Governor,”
Buehler
writes. “Bet-
sy’s plain-
spoken, inde-
pendent spirit
Buehler
and proven
record of
putting the concerns of
everyday Oregonians
before partisan politics is
exactly what Oregon needs
right now.”
The letter ends with a
link to Johnson’s campaign
fundraising committee.
Buehler said the closed
primaries of the Demo-
cratic and Republican par-
ties would put candidates
on the ballot who repre-
sented the most radical ele-
ments of their parties.
“It is vital that we break
the iron grip monopoly of
the radical left on power,
politics, and policy in our
state,” Buehler said of
Democrats.
Republicans would
likely nominate someone
Pamplin Media Group, File
Sen. Betsy Johnson, a moderate Democrat from Scappoose, announced Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, she is
running for governor in 2022 as an independent. Johnson’s campaign on Tuesday, Dec. 7, released an
endorsement letter from Knute Buehler, the 2018 Republican nominee for governor.
who Buehler believes
would have little chance of
appealing to most voters
in Oregon, which has not
elected a Republican as
governor since 1982.
“Unfortunately, the
Republican Party is no
longer a viable alternative
in Oregon,” Buehler said.
Running as an
independent
Johnson’s Nov. 8
announcement that she
would run as an indepen-
dent after 21 years in the
Legislature as a Democrat
was met with disapproval
by Democratic leaders.
Senate President Peter
Courtney, D-Salem,
stripped her of her
co-chairmanship of the
powerful Ways & Means
Committee, the state’s
main budget-writing panel.
Johnson remains a regis-
tered Democrat and retains
her seat in the Senate.
Johnson has consistently
been the most moderate of
Democrats in the Senate.
While backing most of her
party’s social issue stances,
including support for abor-
tion rights, she has voted
with Republicans on issues
such as business restric-
tions, gun rights and lim-
iting carbon emissions.
The Democratic and
Republican nominees will
be selected in the May 17,
2022 primary. Johnson
then has to submit just over
24,000 valid signatures
backing her candidacy to
the secretary of state over
the early summer to go
directly on the Nov. 8 gen-
eral election.
Buehler brings a long
list of major donors to
Johnson’s campaign, which
is already leads fund-
raising for 2021, with $2.1
million in contributions,
including several $100,000
contributions from the
timber industry and busi-
ness owners. She currently
has $2.3 million in the
bank.
The biggest question is
whether Buehler’s endorse-
ment will bring in con-
tributions from Nike’s
Phil Knight, who has not
expressed a preference in
the 2022 race. Knight was
a major backer of Buehler.
The top Democratic
fundraisers so far have
been former New York
Times columnist Nicholas
Kristof, state Treasurer
Tobias Read and House
Speaker Tina Kotek.
Among Republicans,
2016 GOP governor nom-
inee Bud Pierce has
reported just over $767,000
in contributions, with
about half self-fi nanced.
Sandy Mayor Stan Pul-
liam has raised $575,000
and longtime GOP con-
sultant Bridget Barton of
Portland has received over
$491,000.
The latest entry in the
GOP race, Rep. Chris-
tine Drazan, R-Canby,
has raised over $204,000,
including money rolled
over from her House cam-
paign committee. She
recently stepped down
as House minority leader
to concentrate on plan-
ning a formal campaign
announcement early next
year. She will retain her
House seat.
An Independent
Insurance Agency
Oregon Health Authority director: ‘We
know almost nothing about omicron’
By LYNNE TERRY
Oregon Capital Chronicle
SALEM — Scientists
know little about omicron
but they expect it to emerge
in Oregon this week.
“We know almost
nothing about omicron,”
Patrick Allen, director
of the Oregon Health
Authority told the Oregon
Health Policy Board on
Tuesday, Dec. 7. He said
there has been a lot of
“supposition and specula-
tion” in the media that is
“well-informed” but not
defi nitive.
He said the “emerging
data points” are not enough
to allow scientists to make
any conclusions about
omicron. “But those data
points seem to indicate that
it’s more contagious, seem
to indicate that it’s less vir-
ulent, seem to maybe indi-
cate that vaccines continue
to be protective,” Allen
said.
But one problem is that
a lot of the scientifi c infor-
mation is coming from
South Africa, which has a
young population with a
low vaccination rate.
The world has only
known about omicron for
about two weeks. Since
it was fi rst identifi ed in
southern Africa, it’s been
detected from Canada to
Asia and Europe to Aus-
tralia. It’s also turned up
in dozens of U.S. states,
including Washington and
California.
This week, scientists
working on Oregon State
University’s wastewater
project, which has been
tracking the spread of
COVID across the state,
will start to look for omi-
cron in those samples.
Allen expects the new
variant to be there.
“I would be shocked if
we didn’t have omicron
turn up (there) or in reg-
ular sequencing,” Allen
said.
Regardless when omi-
cron emerges, Allen said
the state would persist
in trying to get as many
people vaccinated as
possible.
About 73% of adults in
the state have received two
shots, and 23% have gotten
a booster.
“We’ve seen pretty
brisk uptake particu-
larly in boosters,” Allen
said. “We’re now up to
20,000 overall doses
a day, including fi rst
doses, second doses and
boosters.”
The state has opened a
dozen vaccine sites around
the state in fairgrounds
and other places that can
administer up to 2,000
shots a day. Allen said
these are focused
on underserved communi-
ties that were hard hit by
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the pandemic.
“We’re seeing good
uptake there,” Allen said.
“Everything is about where
we would expect it to be in
terms of vaccination.”
He also updated the
board on the state’s plan to
off er a digital vaccine card,
which will be voluntary.
It will be off ered to people
to keep it on their phone to
show where proof of vacci-
nation is required.
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COVID-19
Vaccine
Drive Through Event Information:
www.chdinc.org
541-962-8800
Event date: 12/5-12/10
Event times: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Event Location: 3604 N 2nd Street at the La Grande Fair Grounds
Mt. Emily/4-H Building
Vaccines offered: 1st dose, 2nd dose, 3rd doses and booster vaccines. All
Covid vaccine configurations will be available including pediatric vaccination.
Registration: Will be completed at vaccine site
North Powder Vaccine Event:
Event date: 12/8
Event time: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Event location: 333 G Street, North Powder Charter School, North Powder,
Oregon 97867
Vaccines offered: 1st dose, 2nd dose, 3rd doses and booster vaccines. All
Covid vaccine configurations will be available including pediatric vaccination.
Registration: Will be completed at vaccine site
Other vaccine events offered in December:
Location: Center for Human Development
Time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm every Friday with the exception of New Year’s Eve
in addition to Christmas Eve.
Additional options: Scheduled appointments available throughout the week.
Vaccines offered: 1st dose, 2nd dose, 3rd doses and booster vaccines. All
Covid vaccine configurations will be available including pediatric vaccination.
Other pediatric and adult immunizations also available at CHD.
CDC General Vaccine Info:
COVID-19 vaccines are effective
COVID 19-vaccines are effective and can reduce the risk of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Learn
more about the different COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccines also help children and adults from getting seriously ill even if they do get COVID-19.
While COVID-19 tends to be milder in children than adults, it can make children very sick, require hospitalization, and some
children have even died. Children with underlying medical conditions are more at risk for severe illness compared to children
without underlying medical conditions.
Getting children ages 5 years and older vaccinated can help protect them from serious short- and long-term complications.
Getting everyone ages 5 years and older vaccinated can protect families and communities, including friends and family who
are not eligible for vaccination and people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Booster Information from CDC:
Fast Facts Everyone age 18 and older is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine booster beginning Nov. 20, 2021. Some people
are strongly advised get a booster dose to protect themselves and others. You can choose which vaccine to get. The
COVID-19 vaccines are extraordinarily effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death. That said, we are
seeing immunity drop over time, especially in people over age 50 and those with compromised immune systems who are
more likely to experience severe disease, hospitalization and death. For these people, another dose boosts their immunity,
sometimes greater than what was achieved after the primary, two-dose series. Health experts strongly recommend people
over age 50, people over 18 who live in long-term care facilities, and anyone who received one dose of the Johnson &
Johnson vaccine get a booster dose. Younger, healthy people may also get a booster dose to protect themselves and
others. A booster will re-build neutralizing antibodies that strengthen the body’s ability to fight getting a breakthrough
case. Even if you’re not at high risk, you could be infected and then pass it on to others, such as children too young to be
vaccinated, the elderly, or people who are immunocompromised. Booster doses help people maintain strong immunity to
disease longer. The first vaccine series built up the immune system to make the antibodies needed to fight the disease.
Over time, the immune response weakens. A booster dose stimulates the initial response and tends to result in higher
antibody levels that help people maintain their immunity longer. Boosters take about two weeks to bring up the immune
response. This continues to be studied, but we can reliably say it takes two weeks to bring the immune response up to or
better than that after the primary series.