Oregon has moved to further protect abortion since Roe v. Wade’s reversal by the Supreme Court, and is now launching an abortion hotline for callers to get legal advice.
In a press release, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced the launch of the Oregon Reproductive Rights Hotline, which will use volunteers from local law firms to speak with anyone seeking legal advice regarding abortion — even though abortion is legal there with no restrictions whatsoever, according to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute.
“Even in a state like ours, where abortion is legal, confusion and fear has ensued since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to obtain an abortion last June,” Rosenblum said. “The Hotline will fill an important need in our state for callers to understand the status of our reproductive health laws, including issues related to abortion access. This is especially important because we share a border with Idaho, which has a near-total abortion ban. I am so grateful to this fantastic group of local lawyers who are energized and ready to help answer callers’ questions and help them navigate this post-Roe era.”
As pointed out in the press release, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe, did not affect the legalization of abortion on a federal level; rather, it allowed individual states to make their own laws regarding abortion. This means that in states like Oregon, where abortion was already legal, it remained legal.
Though Oregon is already a strongly pro-abortion state, lawmakers have worked to further expand abortion. Abortion is already allowed there for any reason, and since June, when Roe was overturned, the state has seen an 18% increase in abortions committed. Yet though abortions are increasing in Oregon, the state’s Reproductive Health and Access to Care workgroup still complained that abortion is not easy enough to access. The workgroup called for the state to fund abortion training and for stricter enforcement of abortion health insurance mandates. Additionally, Oregon abortionists who travel to other states and break their laws regarding abortion cannot be prosecuted, and Oregon prosecutors are banned from prosecuting anything related to abortion.
