PRO-CHOICE COALITION OF OREGON PRESS RELEASE

The Oregon House of Representatives today passed nationally significant legislation that will guarantee reproductive health equity for Oregonians. The Reproductive Health Equity Act (House Bill 3391) will ensure that every Oregonian can decide when and whether to become a parent - regardless of income, type of insurance, citizenship status or gender identity.

Oregonians need quality medical care to prevent problems before they start, which results in stronger health outcomes, lower healthcare costs and a stronger economy. Limitations on reproductive health services can have profoundly harmful effects on public health, disproportionately impacting low-income women, women of color, immigrant women, young women, rural women, survivors of domestic violence, and transgender and gender-nonconforming people.

The Pro-Choice Coalition of Oregon, which developed the legislation over the past two years with input from community leaders and legislators, applauded the elected leaders who recognized the urgent need to safeguard reproductive freedom and fill gaps in coverage that benefit millions of Oregonians. If adopted by the Senate, HB 3391 will:

• Safeguard the right to abortion if Roe v. Wade were overturned.
• Protect no-cost coverage for preventive reproductive health care for every Oregonian with commercial health insurance if the Affordable Care Act were overturned.
• Expand post-partum care to about 48,000 Oregonians of reproductive age who have coverage for labor and delivery that drops immediately after birth.
• Make safe, legal abortion more affordable and accessible for about 43,000 Oregon women of reproductive age who have high-deductible policies.
• Help more than 18,600 Oregon women of reproductive age who are forced to pay out-of-pocket costs for preventive health services, including contraception.
• Remove procedural barriers that hinder access to lifesaving cancer screenings for transgender and gender-nonconforming Oregonians.

House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, Representatives Jeff Barker and Julie Fahey, and Senators Richard Devlin and Laurie Monnes Anderson are the chief sponsors of the bill, which is co-sponsored by 21 State Representatives and 10 State Senators.

Reproductive Health Equity Act summary: https://reprohealthequity.org/about/about-the-bill/

Reproductive Health Equity Act fact sheet: https://reprohealthequity.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/hb-3391-fact-sheet.pdf

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The Pro-Choice Coalition of Oregon is a diverse, statewide coalition that is working to create a world where access to reproductive health care doesn’t depend on who you are, where you live or how much you earn - where every Oregonian who can become pregnant has the opportunity to choose their own path to a healthy and meaningful life. The coalition consists of American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Family Forward Oregon, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon, Oregon Latino Health Coalition, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon and Western States Center.