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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
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