OREGON, USA — On Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced the launch of its abortion access website through the OHA Reproductive Health Program. The new website makes it easier for anyone seeking abortion care, information and services, regardless of immigration or Oregon residency status.
The new Abortion Access in Oregon website includes current and accurate information regarding accessing abortion services in Oregon, OHA said. The site includes information such as information about abortion, legal rights and privacy, where to get an abortion, paying for an abortion, the Abortion Access Plan and abortion support.
OHA said that the Abortion Access in Oregon site was created in collaboration with community, clinical and state partners to ensure the information on the website is relevant to, and accessible for those seek abortion care in Oregon.
The website comes after many challenges to women's reproductive freedoms expanded across the country. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek reassured Oregonians that abortion remains legal and protected in Oregon and the new website further reassures that protection.
“The new Abortion Access in Oregon website helps us reaffirm to people in Oregon that abortion remains legal and protected in our state, and that anyone who comes to our state for an abortion, regardless of immigration status, has the legal and protected right to that abortion service, not just Oregon residents,” said Gov. Kotek.
The director of the Oregon Health Authority, Dr. Sejal Hathi, also emphasized OHA's commitment to protecting abortion access in Oregon.
“As challenges to women's reproductive freedom mount across the country, OHA remains staunchly committed to protecting access to the full range of reproductive health care — including and especially abortion, fertility services, and contraception — for all those who live in and visit our state,” said Dr. Sejal Hathi. “The foundation of access is knowledge: of your rights, of available services, of the nuts and bolts of obtaining care. This website takes us one step closer to sharing that knowledge and enabling greater access to protected care.”
In 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2002, which gives minors under the age of 15 a pathway to get an abortion without notifying or gaining consent from parents. If a health care provider determines that the minor might be unsafe at home, they can sign off on an abortion — or, if they think that notifying parents might otherwise not be in the minor's best interests, they must seek a second opinion before giving approval.
Minors 15 and older can make their own health care decisions in Oregon, including about abortion.
In addition, HB 2002 provided protections to abortion providers, and required state Medicaid and most private medical insurances to cover abortions and some gender-affirming care, including hormone therapy and some surgeries. The bill also increased access to abortion and gender-affirming care in rural parts of Oregon.
At the time the bill was a major sticking point for Republicans, which partially contributed to the party stalling business in the Senate for six weeks — the longest walkout in Oregon legislative history.
The announcement of the website came as Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum rallied abortion rights supporters alongside the American Civil Liberties Union while speaking on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., this week.
Rosenblum spoke in defense of abortion as essential health care, and of abortion medication as a key part of essential health care rights. The rally coincided with arguments being presented inside the Supreme Court in the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. the Food & Drug Administration; a case challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone, a drug commonly used in medical abortion procedures.