Democrat Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed House Bill 2002 into law on Tuesday, enacting steep fines for “interfering” outside the entrance of an abortion clinic,.
“Every individual has a fundamental right to make decisions about the individual’s reproductive health, including the right to make decisions about the individual’s reproductive health care, to use or refuse contraception, to continue the individual’s pregnancy and give birth or to terminate the individual’s pregnancy,” the law states.
The law prohibits an “officer, employee or agent of a public body” from restricting or interfering with a woman’s “reproductive health.” RELATED: 60,000 Fewer Abortions Since Roe V. Wade Was Overturned, Pro-Life Group Says)
A person who “impedes” someone’s access to the entrance of a facility that provides abortion is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor under the new law. In Oregon, a Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in prison, a $6,250 fine, or both. Interfering with the entrance of a facility includes making noise that “disturbs the peace,” trespassing on the grounds of the facility, and calling the facility’s phone with “no communicative purpose.”
Today, we strengthened access to health care in Oregon with the signing of HB 2002 & HB 2697.
The new laws will further Oregon’s path to building a more equitable health care system that centers patients and supports workers and providers. pic.twitter.com/LHvr67egLg
— Governor Tina Kotek (@GovTinaKotek) August 15, 2023
The law also requires that medical insurance providers cover transgender surgeries of various kinds and prohibits the Oregon Medical Board from rescinding a doctor’s license for performing or prescribing various transgender treatments to patients. This prohibition extends to restrictions placed on these operations in other states.
“The new laws will further Oregon’s path to building a more equitable health care system that centers patients and supports workers and providers,” Kotek said in a tweet after signing the bill.
North Carolina, meanwhile, is set to become the 22nd state to pass bans on child sex changes, if Republican lawmakers succeed in overturning Democrat Governor Roy Cooper’s veto Wednesday.