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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2018)
12, 2018 Conversation Page 5 There are constantly aatl»aberllea b ills introduced Into oar (OregoaJ leelslatnre, but we h a w a pro-ehol^e m ajority doesn^t let them see the lig h t of dayB I f s Important lo r people to remember that we don't lir e In a pro-choice utopia where we don't h a w to fig h t those things M a ll the time« I f the mafeeop of o u r legislature were Io change^ 1 th in k we would see more threats Io abortion access and reprodnctlw healthcare." _ GRAYSON DEMPSEY I E X E C U T IV E D IR E C T O R A T N A R A L P R O -C H O IC E O R E G O N D EM PSEY, from page 4 G.D.: In 2017, we passed the Supreme Court nomination, Roe v. Wade comes up, because it is one of the most threats to women’s reproductive rights, such Reproductive Health Equity Act (House Bill 3391). One of the most historic things it did pivotal of decisions, but I do think the as the recently-imposed domestic gag rule was codify the right to legal abortion in Trump administration has shown itself to be and the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 Oregon - and we were aware at that time the most hostile to reproductive rights in decision in NIFLA v. Becerra, which gave that something like this could happen. modern history, and knowing that now in his religiously-motivated pregnancy crisis It was right after Trump had been elected first two years he’s going to have the ability centers the right to exclude abortion from and Neil Gorsuch had been confirmed, and to appoint two justices, with the potential of the options they present to pregnant there was starting to be a real concern appointing more - yeah - I feel like the women. about a situation in which the Supreme pressure feels greater. Many of these crisis centers masquerade Court could potentially reverse a decision on as health clinics and have been found to give Roev. Wade, so with the Reproductive women misleading information about Health Equity Act, we put measures into E.G.: Are there any cases working their way abortions. A 2015 NARAL Pro-Choice place to protect abortion here in Oregon. up through the courts right now that could America undercover investigation revealed a With that said, we (at NARAL) are in the potentially be the one that overturns Roe v. widespread pattern of medical process of doing some legal analysis of how Wade? misinformation being conveyed to pregnant a Supreme Court ruling on abortion, if it women who visit these centers. For were to be completely overturned, would G.D.: The opposition is not being quiet example, according to its report, “Crisis impact Oregon’s abortion laws. about the fact that they have passed some Pregnancy Centers hie,” one woman was I’ve been getting a lot of questions laws and are challenging some cases told she would be 400 times more likely to assuming the Supreme Court decision because they’are working toward th e case gei.breastjuancei;i4sh^ had an abortion. „ would be an absolute reversal of Roe & that would potentially overturn Roe v. Wade. There are eight pregnancy crisis centers Wade, and one of the things for us to realize There are bills right now that have been operating in Portland and 44 in Oregon, is while that may happen, there could just passed that could be laying the groundwork. according to crisis center Lifecall’s website. continue to be decisions that undermine women’s ability to access abortion. In that case, our laws could be threatened E.G.: We won’t know until July 6, the day Emily Green: What exactly does Roe v. in ways I can’t even speculate about this article publishes, if the initiative to stop Wade do in the first place? The Supreme Court could pass a decision publicly-funded abortions for lowlncome women in Oregon (Initiative Petition 1) will that isn’t a complete reversal of Roe v. Wade, Grayson Dempsey: Roe v. Wade made but that says now abortion is no longer legal' have enough Signatures to qualify for the abortion legal in this country because of a November ballot. I f it does, what parts of past 12 weeks, or that all clinics have to be right to privacy, meaning a woman had a Oregon’s Reproductive Health Equity Act and set up as ambulatory surgical centers, or right to make decisions about her body other reproductive-health laws will it threaten? that federal funding will be pulled - this is under the right to privacy, up to the point of what’s happening right now with the gag viability of the pregnancy, which is generally rule. G.D.: Initiative Petition 1 and the deemed to be around 24 weeks. Reproductive Health Equity Act impact I think Oregon is in a great position, one Before that, states had individual laws on different communities. Reproductive Health of the best in the country, to protect our the books that made abortion legal in some Equity Act impacted private insurance that reproductive rights and our access to states but not legal in others. That’s why the abortion, but I also know that there are was purchased through the Oregon general assumption is that if Roe v. Wade exchange, and IP 1 would amend the threats out there that we can’t know how to were flat-out overturned, it would kick the constitution to ban public funding for respond to in Oregon until they appear. matter back to state legislators. A lot of anti abortion care, which would mean women who are covered by Medicaid and state abortion advocates have used that as sort of employees who are covered by publicly a caveat to say, “It wouldn’t criminalize it E.G.: Have you been feeling a greater sense across the nation, it would just kick it back funded health plans. of urgency this past week, or have you been We had a great victory last year for to the states, and then the states could feeling the same sense of urgency since women covered by private insurance, and decide.” That’s a way to make it seem like it November 2016? what the proponents of IP 1 are doing is wouldn’t be such a horrible thing, but there trying to attack people who are often the G.D.: I’ve been in some state of full are four states right now that have trigger most vulnerable, meaning women who are blown panic since November of 2016, but I laws, so if Roe v. Wade were to be covered by Medicaid and state-funded health do think it was just such a shock to see the overturned, they would instantly make kinds of decisions that the court was issuing plans. The legislature really took a bold step abortion illegal. in codifying women with private insurance’s last week, with the travel ban, with NIFLA In many states there is nothing in statute right to have no cost sharing for v. Becerra, with Janus v. AFSCME. I think saying abortion is legal. I think that if Roev. reproductive health services, and the Wade were to be overturned, there would be that even if Justice Kennedy hadn’t retired, proponents of IP 1 are using this ballot last week would have really reminded us a lot of legislative fights at the state level measure to really try to attack all of the that we are living in a time when we have a about which states could and couldn’t .people who are not covered by House Bill Supreme Court that is not standing up for provide abortion services. 3391. the values of the majority of Americans, I think that really did ratchet up the heat on that feeling of urgency and panic. E.G.: I f Roe v. Wade were overturned, what E.G.: Are there other local threats to I’ve been doing this work for 19 years, effect would that have on Oregon’s laws? women’s reproductive rights? and I know that every time there’s a G.D.: There are constantly anti-abortion bills introduced into our legislature, but we have a pro-choice majority that doesn’t let them see the light of day. . It’s important for people to remember that we don’t live in a pro-choice utopia where we don’t have to fight those things off all the time. If the makeup of our legislature were to change, I think we would see more threats to abortion access and reproductive healthcare. Another really big threat facing us is the Title X domestic gag rule, where we could potentially see clinics choose between losing their funding and being able to offer medically accurate information to their patients, as well as how crisis pregnancy centers are going to be emboldened after the NIFLA v. Becerra decision. We know c r isis p r e g n a n c y c e n te r s w ill o ft e n s e t themselves up across the street from Planned Parenthood clinics or give themselves names that sound more like health clinics than politically- and religiously- motivated counseling centers. I think with the decision of the Supreme Court last week, that’s a real threat. Those crisis centers are everywhere, and Oregon is no exception. E.G.: Can you give me a sort of menu of things the average Oregonian can do to help preserve local access to reproductive health care at this time? G.D.: It’s making sure they’re registered to vote, paying attention and holding their representatives accountable. We would love it if people would join NARAL’s email list, get involved and make themselves available for us to share information with them. They should support, through volunteerism and through donations, local organizations that are doing this work on the ground in Oregon. It’s all of the things that people have probably said a hundred times, but that’s what really makes a difference. After the 2016 election, we got flooded with volunteers, which was great but what we needed is for people to show up, not in November, but when legislative session started. There was an apathy gap - they were fired up in November, and not so much six months later. We need people to pick up the phone and call during really critical times, or write a letter to the editor or be part of a canvass day where we go out and talk to everybody in a particular neighborhood. Want to get involved? Visit: prochoiceoregon.org and click Take Action
