abortion

House Bill 3391, the comprehensive reproductive health bill, requires abortion, vasectomies and contraceptive care be covered at no additional out-of-pocket costs to consumers, gives postpartum care to low-income unauthorized immigrants, and adds further clarity to stop insurers from discriminating against transgender individuals.

The bill would have codified Affordable Care Act protections for reproductive healthcare and brought Oregon insurance law in line with the federal government, but it divided Democrats, some of whom objected to language in the bill around abortion. The bill was stopped before it could have a public hearing.

Landmark legislation to ensure abortion access to all Oregon women appears dead for 2015 session

Mike Nearman wants to take the Oregon Republican Party in a new direction, one along Tea Party lines and rid the party of so-called “Republicans In Name Only” that hold sway in the Oregon House. He wants to start with Rep. Jim Thompson, R-Dallas, whom he believes hasn’t done enough to derail the hated Obamacare laws. “He’s content to just get spoon fed whatever Cover Oregon wants,” said Nearman, an information technology professional and the chairman of the Polk County Republicans. “I wouldn’t let John Kitzhaber get away without answering any questions.”

Abortion rates are at their lowest since 1973, when the Roe v. Wade court decision made the procedure legal, according to figures released by the Guttmacher Institute earlier this year. Michelle Stranger-Hunter, executive director of NARAL and the Oregon Reproductive Health Foundation, noted that the study in question covers the years between 2008 and 2011. Between 2011 and 2013, more than 205 abortion restrictions passed in different states nationwide – more than in the previous decade, Stranger-Hunter said. (None of them passed in Oregon, which is the only state not to have passed any restrictions on abortion since Roe.)

January 2, 2013 -- Ashland Community Hospital and Asante – a southern Oregon-based healthcare company that owns hospitals in Medford and Grants Pass – are hammering out the details of a proposed merger, and expect to continue those talks into early next year, according to Roy Vinyard, Asante's president and CEO.