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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2022)
sNok signflz JULY 1, 2022 3 Tribal health care plan doesn’t anticipate changes after Supreme Court ruling By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals assistant editor/staff writer sinǝmakwst-mun (July) • Monday, July 4 – Tribal offices closed in observance of the Independence Day holiday. • Thursday, July 7 – 2022 Honor and Recognition Event, 5:30 p.m., Spirit Mountain Casino. More info: youtheducation@grandronde.org. • Friday-Sunday, July 8-10 – Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow. Uyxat Powwow Grounds. 9600 S.W. Hebo Road. Grand entries at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday. Vendor contact: 503-983- 6790. • Wednesday, July 13 – Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., limited in-person attendance in Tribal Council Chambers and via the Zoom teleconference application. 503-879-2304. • Wednesday, July 27 – Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., limited in-person attendance in Tribal Council Chambers and via the Zoom teleconference application. 503-879-2304. • Wednesday, July 27 – Tribal Council Candidate Forum, time TBD, Tribal Community Center and Zoom. 503-879-2304. stuxtkin-mun (August) • Wednesday, Aug. 10 – Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., limited in-person attendance in Tribal Council Chambers and via the Zoom teleconference application. 503-879-2304. • Friday-Sunday, Aug. 19-21 – Grand Ronde Contest Powwow. Uyxat Pow- wow Grounds. 9600 S.W. Hebo Road. Grand entries at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. • Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 18-20 – Annual Fish Distribution, 9 a.m., Natural Resources Department Fish Lab, 47010 S.W. Hebo Road. 503-879-2424. • Wednesday, Aug. 24 – Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., limited in-person attendance in Tribal Council Chambers and via the Zoom teleconference application. 503-879-2304. • Wednesday, Aug. 24 – Grand Ronde Education Summit, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Spirit Mountain Casino, 26820 S.W. Salmon River Highway. • Wednesday, Aug. 24 – Annual Fish Distribution, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Portland Area Office, 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd., Portland. 503-879-1881. A recent landmark Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade might affect Tribal members who are living in states that have or plan to ban abortion following the ruling. Although a majority of Grand Ronde Tribal members live in Or- egon, Washington and California, where abortion is guaranteed by state law, there are approximately 350 Tribal members who live in 17 states that have or plan to ban abortion since Roe was overturned. For instance, more than 80 Tribal members live in Texas and about 60 live in Idaho. Because of 1954’s Termination and the subsequent diaspora to seek employment, Grand Ronde Tribal members live in more than 40 states and the District of Columbia. While it cannot be easily deter- mined how many of these Trib- al members are female and/or of child-bearing age, those who need to seek the medical procedure will likely be affected. Currently, the Tribal member health care plan covers 90 percent of costs for an abortion with a $1,500 limit through First Choice Health. When asked if the Tribe would ex- pand its reproductive care option to cover expenses for Tribal members who might have to travel out of their respective state of residence for the procedure, Health Services Execu- tive Director Kelly Rowe said she is not currently anticipating making changes to the program. “Reproductive health is a very personal matter and those are con- versations that we are happy to have with our individual Tribal members we serve,” Rowe said in an e-mail. While there has been discussion of Tribal Nations in states that restrict abortion becoming “sanctuaries” due to their sovereign status, it is highly unlikely to happen for several rea- sons, including the fact that private funds would largely be required to build and operate clinics because a majority of Native Americans and Alaska Natives receive their health care funded by the federal Indian Health Service. Abortions are excluded from fed- eral health care due to the Hyde Amendment, which restricts using federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother’s life. Those federal exceptions are not being included in many proposed and adopted state abortion bans. The June 24 Supreme Court rul- ing overturned 50 years of federal precedent that made it illegal to ban abortion until fetal viability and sent that decision back to individual states to decide. The Supreme Court’s ruling in 1973’s Roe v. Wade recognized that the choice to terminate or keep a pregnancy belonged to the individu- al, not the government, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. It stated that Roe was based on the premise that the concept of “liberty” guaranteed in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution includes the right to have an abortion. Contains information from High Country News OFFICIAL TRIBAL FACEBOOK PAGES COMMUNITY VETERANS GATHERING & RESOURCE EVENT Smoke Signals: facebook.com/SmokeSignalsCTGR The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde: facebook.com/CTGRgov Grand Ronde Health & Wellness: facebook.com/GRHWC Grand Ronde Children & Family Services: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. • July 8 facebook.com/CTGRCFS Uyxat Powwow Grounds, 9600 S.W. Hebo Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347 Grand Ronde Royalty: Join us for a day of gathering, healing and connection. facebook.com/CTGRRoyalty Veterans! Come visit the Mobile Vet Center, connect with VA Health, Grand Ronde Education Programs: learn about various veterans benefits and connect with a T/VSO for facebook.com/CTGREducation claim information and/or questions. Grand Ronde Youth Council: facebook.com/CTGRYouthCouncil Grand Ronde Station: facebook.com/GrandRondeStation Grand Ronde Social Services Department: facebook.com/CTGRSocialservices Grand Ronde Food Bank: facebook.com/GrandRondeFoodBank Spirit Mountain Community Fund: facebook.com/SpiritMountainCommunityFund Grand Ronde Cultural Education: facebook.com/Grand-Ronde-Cultural-Education Grand Ronde Community Garden: facebook.com/GrandRondeCommunityGarden Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department: facebook.com/Grand-Ronde-Tribal-Police-Department Grand Ronde Employment Services Facebook.com/EmploymentServices TRIBAL VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE Ad by Samuel Briggs III Ad by Samuel Briggs III
