Hooray! Oregon is in last place...
That is, for pro-lifers. The Americans United for Life is upset because they've ranked Oregon #50 for pro-life policies.
The O's Jeff Mapes has the story:
The group dumps on Oregon for not restricting abortion and for continuing to provide state funds for poor women seeking the procedure. It also scores the state for not restricting embryonic cell research, but what seemed to earn the state it's No. 50 rating is Oregon's law allowing physician assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Americans United for Life called that "most disturbing."On the flip side, NARAL Pro-Choice America has long praised Oregon as one of the best states for protecting abortion rights. But I notice in their latest listing that Oregon's letter grade of "A" is bested by Washington and California, which have "A+" grades. NARAL criticizes Oregon for not having an abortion provider in most of its counties.
Discuss.
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Jan. 16, 2008
Posted in in the news. |
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11:04 a.m.
Jan 16, '08
I'm glad in this state - especially in this county - my body still belongs to me. Thanks Oregon!
Jan 16, '08
The access issue is real, especially for low income women. Of course, healthcare access in general is a problem in many remote rural areas, so family planning services are not unique in that.
Jan 16, '08
The access issue is real, especially for low income women. Of course, healthcare access in general is a problem in many remote rural areas, so family planning services are not unique in that.
Well, why don't they listen to Joe Lieberman, who says women can just drive to the next town?
(please please let's get a bigger majority so we can get him out of Homeland security committee chair and other positions)
Jan 16, '08
The access issue is real, especially for low income women. Of course, healthcare access in general is a problem in many remote rural areas, so family planning services are not unique in that.
Tom is right, the problem is not just that women cannot access abortion services, but that access to reproductive health care in general is bad. In many cases women have to travel an hour or more, in one direction, to access basic health care services. NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon is currently working with staff and communities across the state to identify where those gaps exist so that we can address those problems and find ways to bring reproductive health care options to all men and women. And here is my shameless plug: if you want to help with this or know more about our efforts, shoot me an email.
Jan 16, '08
The access issue is real, especially for low income women. Of course, healthcare access in general is a problem in many remote rural areas, so family planning services are not unique in that.
Tom is right, the problem is not just that women cannot access abortion services, but that access to reproductive health care in general is bad. In many cases women have to travel an hour or more, in one direction, to access basic health care services. NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon is currently working with staff and communities across the state to identify where those gaps exist so that we can address those problems and find ways to bring reproductive health care options to all men and women. And here is my shameless plug: if you want to help with this or know more about our efforts, shoot me an email; [email protected].
Jan 16, '08
This is one ranking I'm proud of. Not because I'm anti-life, but instead pro-life in perspective. This State respects the rights of the individual to make personal decisions. Birth and death most significantly impact the individual. Therefore, the person most impacted should make the decisions - within reason (Dr. confirmation, etc.). After the initial decision, the state interest should be minimally intrusive to promote life, safety, and health along with equal access to procedures for all. For putting "pro-life" in perspective, Oregon ranks #1 on my scale.
Jan 16, '08
And we have a death penalty, too! Oh, wait...that's not a good thing.
5:23 p.m.
Jan 16, '08
Yea, there were just a story on the news about how we're having a "baby boomlet" here in the U.S. Some of the reasons listed for that included lack of access to abortions, lack of sex education, and less use of contraception.
I just turned 30, and my age group is one of the first who were taught the abstinence-only crap. It started when I was in the 8th grade. We were lucky enough that we'd received a bit of traditional sex ed before then. After that, it was abstinence only, condoms don't work, birth control can cause all kinds of health problems, etc. So it's no wonder that people between the ages of 18 and 30 are having more kids.
Jan 16, '08
I agree, this is a ranking I'm proud of! After just spending the last seven months researching federal and state abortion laws, I'm seriously disturbed by the lack of access to basic services for women in nearly all 50 states. If anyone is interested in the topic regarding abortion access, I strongly recommend Dr. Melody Rose's book - SAFE, LEGAL, AND UNAVAILABLE: ABORTION POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES (2006). She does a tremendous job of relaying facts and stats on the issue.
In addition to the severe lack of abortion providers, one thing people seem to forget is that many pharmacists now have the right to declare contraceptives as abortifacients. They legally have the right to deny women their prescriptions based on religious beliefs that life begins at conception. This dramatically affects a woman's right to access health care needs and could be interpreted as a direct contributor to unwanted pregnancies. Only California and Illinois have laws demanding pharmacies (not individual pharmacists) provide contraceptives to patients.
12:40 p.m.
Jan 17, '08
Yesterday on "Here and Now," a radio magazine show out of WBUR in Boston that OPB broadcasts from 9-10 in the morning, the host Robin Young had an extended interview with Dr. Susan Wicklund, an abortion doctor (as she calls herself) in Montana, who has written what sounds like a complex and compelling memoir that might be a good complement to Dr. Rose's book.
The book is called This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor.
The link to the interview (sound) is here
Jan 20, '08