Oregon Bill Would Be First in Nation to Ensure Complete Reproductive Health Care, Including Abortion

Last month, Oregon’s governor, John Kitzhaber, resigned and ardent reproductive health supporter and openly bisexual Kate Brown transitioned from Secretary of State to governor. Following this, the Beaver State is contemplating a new bill that would continue its groundbreaking streak. The Comprehensive Women’s Health Bill would ensure access to every type of reproductive health (abortion included) to every woman in Oregon.

GIF via "Portlandia" IFC

“As the ACA is being eroded in states across the country, we’re trying to make sure that in this state there’s an assurance of care across all populations and for all Oregonians,” Aimee Santos-Lyons, director of programs for Western States Center, told RH Reality Check. “Plus, there are still communities of women that don’t have access to coverage right now, so we want to start that process. And as we’ve recently seen, governors can change on a dime, so we want to make sure this kind of health care is codified law in our state.”

The bill would make sure that every type of insurance plan, be it private, public or employer provided cover “contraception, abortion, prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum care, including breast-feeding support and folic acid without prescription.” It would also require insurance providers to dole out “a twelve-month supply of birth control once a year.” The legislation is part of a bigger picture bundle of bills that would also take on domestic violence and sexual assault.