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Oregon's History
Oregon legalized abortion in 1969, four years before Roe v. Wade. Today, Oregon has NO protective pro-life laws, placing it in the distinct minority among American states.
1969
Oregon became one of the first states to legalize abortion. SB 193 legalized abortion during the first 150 days of pregnancy. SB 193 allowed a licensed physician to perform an abortion on an Oregon resident in the following circumstances:
- The baby has a physical or mental handicap
- The baby was conceived by rape or other criminal intercourse
- The pregnancy poses a substantial risk to the mother’s physical or mental health.
SB 193 also required all abortions to be performed by a physician and in a hospital. Before any abortion took place, two physicians had to certify in writing that the woman’s circumstances justified the abortion.
1973
The U.S. Supreme Court decisions Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton forced states to permit legal abortion and created a broad definition of “health of the mother” that effectively authorized legal abortion up to the moment of birth. You can read more about those decisions here.
1983
SB 397 repealed the 1969 law, along with all its restrictions on abortion. The bill was passed for the express purpose of protecting unrestricted abortion in Oregon if Roe/Doe were overturned.
2017
HB 3391, known as the Reproductive Health Equity Act, forces insurance companies operating in Oregon to fully cover abortion procedures with no co-pay or deductible. The law also expanded taxpayer funding of abortion, effectively making abortion free of cost in Oregon.
2023
HB 2002 enshrined abortion as a “fundamental right” in Oregon law and drastically diminished parental consent requirements, allowing minors, even under the age of 15, to obtain abortions and other controversial procedures without parental knowledge if providers agree it’s in their “best interest.”
The bill restricts conscience protections for providers, expands civil and criminal penalties for those who “interfere” with access to these services and facilities and blocks cooperation with other states’ pro-life laws. Under this statute, health professional regulatory boards are prohibited from disclosing information related to reproductive and gender-affirming health care services, shielding abortion providers from reports of malpractice. It also mandates taxpayer and insurance coverage of these controversial procedures.
