Oregon Legislature Passes Bill for Free Abortions for All, Including Illegal Aliens

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jul 6, 2017   |   1:54PM   |   Salem, Oregon

A bill headed to Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s desk would force health insurers and taxpayers to pay for free abortions for residents and illegal immigrants.

The radical pro-abortion bill passed the state Senate on Wednesday on a party-line vote, the AP reports. The state House pushed through the bill earlier this week.

The pro-abortion bill would require health insurers to provide free abortions to patients without a co-pay. It also would set aside $10.2 million tax dollars for abortions, contraception and other reproductive health services for 2017 through 2019 in Medicaid, much of which pro-life advocates say will go to Planned Parenthood, the report states.

“This bill is wrong on so many levels,” said Gayle Atteberry, executive director of Oregon Right to Life. “Fundamentally, HB 3391 is morally reprehensible because it will take the lives of even more innocent Oregonians. Sadly, even the barbaric practice of late-term abortion will increase as abortion is legal in Oregon through all 9 months. This is not to mention that many Oregonians are opposed to the use of their tax dollars to fund abortion.”

Atteberry said Gov. Brown is a former abortion lobbyist. So it seems likely that she will sign the bill into law.

“HB 3391 was politically calculated to ensure Planned Parenthood has funding in a time when they are at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government,” she said.

Pro-life Republicans tried to block the bill but did not have enough votes to succeed.

“We don’t need to do this,” state Rep. Mike Nearman said before the House vote earlier this week. “This is Oregon. There [are] no legal restrictions on anyone’s right to get an abortion. None. You can get an abortion at any time for any reason. Even sex-selection.”

In a statement, Oregon House Democrats indicated that the bill is a direct response to President Donald Trump and pro-life federal lawmakers. Right now, U.S. Senate lawmakers are debating a bill that would defund Planned Parenthood of hundreds of millions of tax dollars.

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The Oregon Democrats responded, “Even while the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress are trying to strip away reproductive rights [abortion], Oregon is ensuring access regardless of income, citizenship status, gender identity, or type of insurance.”

The bill has an exemption for houses of worship and religious non-profits, but pro-life groups said the exemption is very weak.

According to Oregon Right to Life, many insurance plans in the state already cover abortions, and there is no guarantee that there will be insurance options in the future that do not cover abortions.

“HB 3391-B would force health insurance companies to cover abortions and leave it up to them whether to provide a separate abortion-free plan for religious organizations,” according to the pro-life group.

Oregon Democrats claimed the bill is about ensuring access to “health care,” but it really is about abortion. And their pro-abortion beliefs represent just a small minority.

Polls consistently show that many Americans think abortion is morally troubling because it involves the killing of an innocent human being’s life. What’s more, polls indicate that poorer Americans are some of the least supportive of taxpayer-funded abortions.

A Politico/Harvard University poll in October 2016 found that voters who make more than $75,000 were more supportive of forcing taxpayers to fund abortions (45 percent in favor), while those who make $25,000 or less were strongly against it (24 percent in favor). In other words, the people most likely to qualify for a Medicaid-covered, taxpayer-funded abortion are the ones who oppose it the most.

Overall, the poll found very little support for taxpayer-funded abortions. Just 36 percent of likely voters supported the issue, while 58 percent opposed it. These findings are consistent with previous polls from various groups.

Action: To ask the governor to veto HB 3391, please click here.