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STATE BlueMountainEagle.com Wednesday, May 1, 2019 A9 Judge sides with Oregon, imposes injunction against Trump rule change National injunction will prevent abortion-related changes from taking effect May 3 By Aubrey Wieber Oregon Capital Bureau A U.S. District Court judge on Monday sided with Oregon to stop a Trump administration rule change on reproductive health care from going into effect. The policy shift would have required clinics pro- viding reproductive health care services to low-income people across the country to physically separate any abortion services, including discussions about abortions, from the rest of the clinic. Judge Michael McShane gave a scathing critique in his written opinion, which imposes a nationwide injunction on the proposed rule change to the Title X program. The change, proposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser- vices, would essentially result in such clinics having to build a separate building. It would force them to seg- regate things like electronic records. “Given the chaos and incompetence at the fed- eral level, it’s really key that states step up to protect our values and our citizens from federal policies that are designed to achieve short- term political gains,” Gov. Kate Brown said at a news conference Monday. While the change was Contributed photo/AFBF President Donald Trump addresses the 100th Annual American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in New Orleans on Jan. 14. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum got a win April 23 when a federal judge ruled in her favor in a lawsuit over abortion rule changes. proposed at HHS, it is widely seen as a Trump-era policy shift to try to defund Planned Parenthood and limit abor- tion access. Planned Parent- hood receives 40 percent of Title X funds. “At best, the Final Rule is a solution in search of a problem,” McShane wrote in his opinion. “At worst, it is a ham-fi sted approach to health policy that recklessly disregards the health out- comes of women, families and communities.” Had McShane not ruled, the change would have gone into effect May 3. His rul- ing puts the change on pause while Oregon and other states sue over the policy change. The U.S. Depart- ment of Justice can appeal the decision. Oregon sued HHS Direc- tor Alex Azar over the pro- posed change March 4. Washington, D.C., and 19 other states joined the law- suit. Planned Parenthood and the American Medical Association fi led a compan- ion lawsuit and argued with Rosenblum’s team in court last week. Lisa Gardner, CEO of Planned Parenthood of southwestern Oregon, said during the news conference that the Title X program provides services to 50,000 Oregonians and 4 million people nationwide. “This decision from Judge McShane recog- nizes the incredibly harmful prospect of gagging medi- cal providers and limiting their ability to provide full and accurate information to patients,” Gardner said. Oregon has joined law- suits against the Trump administration often over the past two years, but this Pamplin Media Group was the fi rst suit Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s team led. “Doctors and medical providers around the coun- try who work in Title X clin- ics will not have to censor what they say to patients, or tell patients who ask for information about abortion that they are not able to pro- vide them with that infor- mation,” Rosenblum said Monday. Her attorneys argued for the injunction on April 23 in federal court in Portland. McShane ruled in favor of the injunction but said he was undecided on its scope. It could have been geo- graphically narrowed or nar- rowed to just the plaintiffs, but in his Monday ruling, McShane said it’s a nation- wide injunction. Washington and Califor- nia each fi led their own law- suits. Last week, a judge in Washington issued a nation- wide injunction, and a judge in California issued a state- wide injunction. In court and in his opin- ion, McShane took repeated shots at the U.S. Department of Justice lawyers in their attempts to explain the rule change. He praised Rosen- blum’s team for providing detailed motions based on data showing the repercus- sions of such a change. The federal lawyers said they felt it was legal. “Without revealing what evidence, if any, helped shape its opinions, HHS essentially says, ‘Trust us, this will work out fi ne,’” McShane wrote. McShane’s opinion was so biting that Rosenblum quoted him at length during Monday’s press conference. The Title X program was implemented in 1970 as a way to limit unwanted preg- nancies. It provides fund- ing for contraception, well- ness exams, cervical cancer screenings, treatment for sexually transmitted dis- eases and more. It does not provide funding for abor- tions, and there is no evi- dence of the funding being misused in the program’s 50-year history, according to court documents. “In the guise of ‘program integrity,’ the Gag Rule pre- vents doctors from behaving like informed profession- als,” McShane wrote about the provision barring doctors from discussing abortion with patients. “It prevents counselors from provid- ing comprehensive counsel- ing. It prevents low-income women from making an informed and independent medical decision.” McShane ruled that the rule change would be incredibly impactful, caus- ing unwanted pregnan- cies, less cancer detection and fewer sexually trans- mitted infection screenings. Because services would dry up in some areas, it would also — ironically — lead to more abortions, he said. “Should the Final Rule go into effect in mere days, the risk of irreparable dam- age to the health of women and communities is grave,” McShane wrote. Brown, who was actively involved in the decision to take the lead on the lawsuit, said this kind of work is the reason she asked the leg- islature to approve $2 mil- lion to fund lawsuits against the Trump administration. Those funds have yet to be approved. Committee’s vaccine bill approval provokes backlash By Aubrey Wieber Oregon Capital Bureau It doesn’t raise taxes, reg- ulate industry or control guns, but in some ways a proposal to remove nonmedical exemp- tions for vaccines is the most controversial piece of legisla- tion in the 2019 session. House Bill 3063 has reli- ably turned up throngs of opposition in a way no others have. The $100,000 the bill would cost to implement is its least controversial aspect. It’s created tense moments between constituents and law- makers. In every public hear- ing since the bill was intro- duced, mothers opposing the bill have broken into tears. If passed, HB 3063 would require children in pub- lic and private schools to be fully vaccinated. Parents who don’t want to vaccinate their child could homeschool them or enroll them in an online school. On April 23, the controver- sial bill pulled between 1,000 and 2,000 people, depending on who you ask, to a rally on the Capitol steps. “I have not seen that at this Capitol,” said three-term Rep. Cedrick Hayden, R-Roseburg. “I have seen groups that are of one party affi liation, but the melting pot of the peo- ple there, politically, I haven’t seen.” The bill is oddly bipartisan. There are bipartisan sponsors, and lawmakers from both par- ties have testifi ed against it. Last week, Sen. Chuck Thomsen, R-Hood River, spoke on the Senate fl oor on consecutive days in support of the legislation. In an inter- view, Thomsen said his wife and daughter are passionately in favor of HB 3063. He is a sponsor of the bill. Thomsen said “anti-vaxx- ers” pay advertising fi rms thousands of dollars to fl ood his and others’ email inboxes. Opponents show up at the Capitol demanding to be heard. He has spoken out on the Senate fl oor to keep the issue on peoples’ minds and let other lawmakers know there are two sides to this debate. ‘Established science’ For decades, Ameri- cans put faith in vaccines as they eradicated horrifi c dis- eases like polio and small- pox. But a 1998 study in the medical journal The Lancet claimed to link childhood vac- cinations with a host of mal- adies, including autism. Even though that study fueled the rise of vaccination skepticism, a January 2011 article in the British Medical Journal called the 1998 study “an elaborate fraud.” The Lancet retracted the article after British med- ical offi cials accused the authors of unethical behavior. In today’s political climate, rife with government distrust and fl ush with conspiracy the- ories, vaccines have become a target of vigorous dissent and grassroots anger. State Sen. Rob Wagner, D-Tualatin, said issues dealing with constitu- tional interpretation or per- ceived government overreach are always controversial, but aside from some gun-con- trol legislation, he hasn’t seen an issue stir this much pub- lic emotion and fervor this session. He called the debate “exceedingly emotionally charged.” “It’s established science,” Wagner said. “The medical provider community is solidly behind it, and I do think that I am very proud to be a sponsor of the legislation.” On April 24, the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health and Human Services passed HB 3063 out of com- mittee on a party line vote. The hearing room was packed. Witnesses spilled into the hallways and over- fl ow rooms. They again talked about how important it is to pass or not pass the bill. After The City of Dayville would like to thank all those who made our 6 th Annual Bunny Hop 5K Race a great success. We are especially grateful to Emma Winkelman and her team for making this event happen. Thank you, Emma—you are terrific! We also thank all of the participants for attending our Hop! We are very appreciative to the businesses who so graciously donated prizes for our Bunny Hop. Thank you, True Value Hardware | Dayville Cafe | Duke Warner Realty Rustic Roots Boutique | Jeff Larson Horseshoeing | Twisted Treasures Dayville Mercantile | Old West Federal Credit Union Grumpy’s | Oregon Telephone Corporation repeatedly being told to not clap or cheer in past hearings, the crowd this time expressed agreement with testifi ers by raising and fl uttering their hands. A school district adminis- trator said the bill was “asi- nine.” A mother told the com- mittee her child isn’t a “guinea pig” for them to inject with “toxic” chemicals. Doctors testifi ed about the rise in infant patients they care for because they have con- tracted vaccine-preventable diseases due to the declining rate of vaccinations in Ore- gon, limiting the effective- ness of herd immunity where enough people are vaccinated that it protects immunocom- promised people from vac- cine-preventable diseases. The bill was sent before the full Ways and Means commit- tee, where co-chair Sen. Eliz- abeth Steiner Hayward is one of its largest supporters. Heated debates It appears poised to fi nd its way to the House fl oor. Witnesses testifying in a handful of hearings during the past couple of months have said they felt this is an exam- ple of a tyrannical govern- ment and that lawmakers were being bought off by phar- maceutical companies. They have talked about injuries they believe their children have sustained from vaccines, and that the government would “forcibly inject” their children with “toxic chemicals.” Doctors and public health offi cials have countered that, though in far lesser numbers, by saying vaccines are rigor- ously tested and the science behind them is strong. Hours of debate, the rallies and the uncomfortable con- frontations between lawmak- ers and constituents doesn’t appear to have moved the con- versation. Before Wednes- day’s vote, Sen. Dallas Heard, R-Roseburg, said the legisla- tion was being driven by the most corrupt people in the country — the pharmaceutical industry — and shows the lack of respect government has for its citizens. “This is probably the tough- est bill I’ve had to speak on in terms of keeping my emotions under control,” Heard said before voting against the bill. After the gavel hit, signal- ing another hurdle cleared for the controversial bill, people attending the hearing started to lash out. Some sat and cried. Others shouted at committee members. One group circled Heard to tell them how appre- ciative they were while oth- ers taunted lawmakers as they walked out, singing “election year” and “lawsuit.” LIVING WITH ALZHEIMER’S: FOR CAREGIVERS—LATE STAGE An Alzheimer’s Association® educational program. YOUR ROLE AS CAREGIVER: In the late stage of Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving typically involves new ways of connecting and interacting with the person with the disease. In this educational class, you’ll hear from caregivers and professionals about resources, monitoring care and providing meaningful connection for the person with late-stage Alzheimer’s and their families. John Day DHS 725 W. Main St., Suite E John Day, OR 97845 Without such wonderful donations, we would not be able to do events such as this—thank you! We would also like to thank all the kids and their parents/grandparents who attended our Annual Easter Egg Hunt and all those who assisted with it. A very special thank you to McKeely Miller for her help with the pre-hunt work and also to Joe and Debbie Letosky for their generous candy donation. Also thank you Marina Martin for the wonderful cut out photo-op board! 25 13 WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 12-3 P.M. Advanced registration is required for this FREE class. Call 800.272.3900 to register or for more information. Proudly sponsored by 116871
