Oregon Gov Kotek Signs Bill to Guarantee Abortion Rights

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, D, has signed two major health care bills, one of which guarantees abortion rights and access to transgender health care in the state.

"A patchwork of abortion bans across the country has put people’s lives in danger and caused disproportionate harm to individuals who have limited income or come from marginalized communities," Kotek said at the bill signing ceremony.

On Tuesday, the Democratic governor signed House Bills 2002 and 2697 into law. The second bill puts minimum nurse staffing standards in hospitals across the Beaver State, then leaving negotiations of better standards to nursing unions.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Oregon began pushing to secure abortion rights for their citizens and this House bill makes them a state with some of the strongest reproductive rights in the nation, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle.

"Oregon is not immune from these attacks. Neighboring states are banning and criminalizing essential health care, threatening patients and providers, cutting off access to care in rural communities and targeting access to lifesaving health care for transgender and non-binary individuals," Kotek said.

The bill granting blanket abortion rights and access to transgender health care caused a six-week walkout of GOP Senators in Oregon during this session.

In order to cease the walkout, legislators agreed on dialing back the provision that allowed individuals to seek an abortion without parental approval. The new law allows providers to waive the need for parental consent for children younger than 15 if they determine the child could be harmed in any way by informing the parents.

Governor Kotek legally signed the bill into law on July 13, but the ceremony served as a way for advocates to celebrate.