PORTLAND, OR – Today, on the four year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and open the door to extreme abortion bans across the country, Governor Tina Kotek vowed in a video message to continue fighting for abortion access and reproductive rights in Oregon.
With protections being stripped away across the country, Governor Kotek remains committed to making sure every Oregonian has the right to make their own healthcare decisions. In sharp contrast, Christine Drazan supported the Supreme Court decision that could lead to states banning abortion in all cases. Her campaign is also supported by Oregon Right to Life – an extreme group that opposes abortion without exceptions.
TRANSCRIPT
Four years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion care and leaving it up to states to figure it out.
Since then, we’ve seen abortion banned in many states across the country. We’ve seen politicians insert themselves into deeply personal medical decisions. We’ve seen people forced to travel hundreds of miles just to get the care they need. And, in the worst cases, we’ve seen women lose their lives – women who would likely still be alive today absent politicians dictating medical care.
Which is why, in Oregon, we’ve stood our ground and taken action.
We’ve strengthened protections for providers, backfilled funding for Planned Parenthood, and made sure that no matter what happens in D.C., reproductive rights remain protected here.
But this fight is far from over. And if Christine Drazan wins in November, Oregon is next.
My opponent’s record is clear: she celebrated the Supreme Court decision that let states ban abortion outright, and she said she would oppose codifying the right to abortion in Oregon.
She’s funded by Oregon Right to Life, an extreme organization that opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest. At a time when women’s rights and lives are on the line, Christine Drazan cannot be trusted to protect them.
We need a governor who will fight back.
I’m running for re-election because the stakes are just too high. And I will never stop fighting for the right of every Oregonian to make their own healthcare decisions.
ABOUT GOVERNOR KOTEK
Governor Tina Kotek has spent her career making history and fighting for others. Over the last three years, Governor Kotek has expanded access to affordable childcare, created thousands of new shelter beds, protected abortion access and vote-by-mail, and funded early literacy and summer learning programs. She has also been a national leader in pushing back against Donald Trump’s attacks on our communities, our healthcare, and our rights by blocking his illegal attempts to deploy the Oregon National Guard in our communities and working through the night to reverse his decision to strip food assistance from Oregonians by taking away SNAP benefits.
Governor Kotek is running for reelection to continue defending Oregon values and tackling the state’s biggest challenges – lowering costs, reducing homelessness, strengthening schools, expanding mental health and addiction care, and bringing affordable childcare to every corner of the state.