Abortion divides state House and Senate contenders on the North Coast

Sep. 2—The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that recognized a constitutional right to abortion, vaulted reproductive rights into the November election.

In Oregon, where abortion remains protected under state law, Democrats have called for expanded access to reproductive health care, while many Republicans have sought to temper their opposition to abortion rights with exceptions for medical emergencies or pregnancies from rape or incest.

A survey by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center found that 72% of people interviewed thought abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Support for abortion was highest early in pregnancy, the survey showed, but declined to 44% in the second trimester.

Nearly half — 46% — said the Supreme Court ruling would not change their voting behavior in November, but the 44% who said it would change their behavior were 10 times more likely than less likely to vote. The online survey, conducted among 1,572 residents statewide from July 8 to July 16, had a margin of error of 2.47 percentage points.

On the North Coast, where there are competitive open seats for the state House and Senate, the contenders are divided along party lines.

Senate District 16

Melissa Busch, a home health nurse from Warren campaigning for state Senate, said reproductive health care should be available to everyone "just like any other form of health care."

The Democrat called the Supreme Court's ruling a "slap in the face."

"As a legislator, I absolutely would continue to protect the laws that we already have on the books. We have very strong protections in place in Oregon and those are things that are really good groundwork," she said. "But I also know that, with the way that the national climate is around reproductive health care access, that we also need to make sure that Oregon is a place where all people are able to access care."

The Astorian has reported that rural counties, like Clatsop County, are especially lacking in abortion services, creating barriers that can complicate health care choices.

"I think now is more critical than certainly any time in my lifetime and really arguably more critical than ever before that we're making sure that state legislatures like ours in Oregon continues to have strong, pro-choice champions that believe in our bodily autonomy and our freedom to make decisions for our bodies and our families," Busch said.

State Rep. Suzanne Weber, a Tillamook Republican who is giving up her House seat to run for Senate, said she does not anticipate abortion coming before the Legislature next session.

"We have too many other issues that need to come before us," she said. "I also know that if it does come before us, that my way of looking at legislation is to do the research dependent upon whatever piece of legislation is brought forward to examine the consequences, to look at science and to then make a decision."

Weber, who describes herself as "pro-life," said any decision on abortion would also be based on what she hears from her constituents. She said the issue has not been a frequent topic of conversation on the campaign trail.

Weber indicated she would not support a complete ban on abortion.

"Like all pro-life advocates, I think we certainly need to have reasonable expectations for saving a mother's life in emergencies and we need to ensure that women can get emergency health without worry," she said.

There was some confusion about Weber's stance on abortion after a candidates' forum at Clatsop Community College in Astoria in April. She said at the forum that she was "pro-choice from conception to natural death."

Weber has since explained that she misspoke.

"That was a dumb thing to say when I'm not (pro-choice)," she said. "I don't know why I said it. It was just a slip of the tongue, because it's not what I believe."

House District 32

Cyrus Javadi, a Tillamook dentist campaigning for state House, said he is "pro-life because I agree that we should consider the life of the unborn."

While Javadi supported the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, citing the importance of state control over the issue, he does not oppose abortion in all circumstances.

"I think where that gets tricky is it's a deeply personal decision," he said. "And I respect the decision the people make with guidance from family, religion or their doctor and I think there has to be some space for people to make that choice while still respecting the rights of the unborn."

Javadi said he views abortion as acceptable when the life of the mother is at risk and "maybe in cases of incest or molest, or rape — there are definitely some arguments that could be made there. But, again, I think we have to create that space for those individuals but be careful to not make it so black and white that we get some bad policy out of it."

Javadi believes "it's important to have a conversation about this in Salem, because I think it's a topic that means a lot to people on both sides of the debate. And I think we can come up with a solution that makes sense if we actually can engage in a conversation about it rather than just one side dictating how it's going to work and what it's going to be like."

Logan Laity, a small-business owner and community organizer in Tillamook trying to flip the House seat back to the Democrats, said the Legislature has an obligation to ensure that Oregonians have access to the best health care standards.

"If we don't vote pro-choice in this election, we could lose decades of reproductive freedoms here in Oregon that we fought for for so long," he said. "It's not just keeping what we have, though, it's also expanding what we want to continue doing."

Laity pointed to the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown in 2017. The act codified abortion into state law and required private health insurers to cover abortions at no out-of-pocket cost.

Earlier this year, the Legislature fed $15 million into a fund intended to expand access to abortion and help cover travel and lodging costs. The money, in part, was to help prepare for a potential surge of people from Idaho and other nearby states with severe abortion restrictions.

"We're not just talking about abortion care here. We're talking about all sorts of high-scale reproductive health services that we are not able to provide on the coast because of our lack of health care infrastructure," Laity said of the challenge of access in many rural areas. "That is what we're fighting for here, and that's what I'm looking forward to protecting."