Oregon advances bill expanding access to abortion, gender-affirming health care

Oregon lawmakers voted Monday to advance a sweeping package that would bolster protections for abortion access and gender-affirming care for transgender people.

The bill, which passed the Oregon House on party-line vote Monday, was hotly debated by Republicans in the state. The legislation runs counter to many of the laws being enacted in Republican-led states seeking to claw back access to abortion and gender-affirming care.

The Oregon bill would protect abortion providers and patients from legal challenges, an apparent response to the Republican states seeking to prosecute out-of-state abortion providers and those who travel across state lines to get an abortion. The bill would also expand insurance coverage for gender-affirming care.

Republicans tried to delay the vote on the bill and send it back to committee, eventually failing in their efforts after a six-hour floor debate in the House chamber Monday night.

Oregon already has some of the most progressive protections for abortions and transgender care in the country. Abortion is legal at every stage of pregnancy in the state, and state law also prohibits medical providers from discriminating on the basis of gender identity.

Republicans in the state pointed to provisions in the bill that would allow abortions to be provided to minors, and in some cases without consent from or notice to parents. They also raised exception to the bill only receiving one public hearing and argued the wide-ranging nature of the bill made it impossible for lawmakers to debate the legislation thoroughly in a short amount of time.

The bill now heads to the state’s Senate, where it could be voted on as early as this week.