Kate Brown, the Governor of Oregon, has always been a queer favorite. Not only because she’s bisexual, but also because she takes a progressive stance on social issues. Just yesterday, she signed into law what’s being called the most progressive reproductive health policy ever in the United States.
Called the Reproductive Health Equity Act, this law requires health insurers to provide both birth control and abortion to all who request without charging a copay.
In a time when Trump and his team are defunding Planned Parenthood and doing everything in their power to make receiving an abortion as difficult as possible, this is undoubtedly incredible news.
“In the face of relentless rollbacks and attacks at the federal level, Oregonians are showing the rest of the country what it means to be resilient and visionary,” Amy Casso, director of the Gender Justice Program for Western States, said in a statement. “There is still work to be done, but today we celebrate that more Oregonians have the freedom to decide if and when they have children based on what’s best for them and their family’s circumstances.”
Needless to say, not everyone was thrilled. Anti-abortion groups swiftly attacked the newly instated bill.
“Today Gov. Brown demonstrated her extreme bias in favor of the abortion rights lobby, disregarding thousands of future Oregonians whose lives have been further endangered by making their elimination 100 percent expense-free,” said Gayle Atteberry, the executive director of Oregon Right to Life.
This bit of good news is desperately needed during this troubling time in America. Thank you, Kate Brown, for being bad ass, for standing up to Trump, and for protecting the rights of marginalized groups.
