(Oregon Right to Life) — Oregon’s Democratic Governor Tina Kotek triggered pushback from pro-life advocates in Oregon and across the country Monday when she signed a proclamation declaring March 10 “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.” The proclamation is the latest of numerous actions by the pro-abortion governor to expand and promote abortion statewide.
“Here in Oregon, we understand that abortion is health care, and providers are appreciated and can continue to provide care without interference and intimidation,” Governor Kotek said.
Oregon Right to Life Executive Director Lois Anderson responded to the proclamation in a press statement, calling it “unsurprising but appalling.”
“There is nothing to celebrate about an industry that profits from taking advantage of vulnerable women and ending the lives of innocent human beings under the guise of ‘health care,’” Anderson said. “Oregon Democrats’ continued obsession with abortion until birth is honestly disturbing.”
Abortion providers end the lives of unborn human beings through either surgical or chemical means. Surgical abortions are carried out using suctioning, induced cardiac arrest, poisoning, or dismemberment, then using metal tools or vacuums to remove the body from the womb. Chemical abortions are carried out by starving the fetus of the growth hormone progesterone, then inducing contractions in the mother.
Oregon abortion providers at facilities like Lilith Clinic and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) – representatives of which attended the signing of Kotek’s proclamation – perform abortions well past fetal “viability.” According to Abortion Finder, OHSU performs abortions through 34 weeks gestation, a stage at which the unborn baby’s internal organs are almost fully developed, and he or she can feel pain, dream, and survive outside the womb..
Asked about late-term abortions, Alison Edelman, an abortion provider at Portland’s Lilith Clinic abortion facility, stated to lawmakers last year that providers perform abortions “under the law,” and that if a woman is requesting it, they will “provide the care.”
Abortion is currently legal up to the moment of birth in Oregon, with no gestational limits, mandatory waiting periods, or even parental notification requirements for girls as young as 15.
Gov. Kotek’s Monday proclamation is the latest in a series of moves by the Democratic governor to expand abortion statewide, including by increasing Oregon’s stockpile of dangerous abortion pills following the November 5 election, and joining a pro-abortion coalition with California and Washington following the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court ruling ending Roe v. Wade.
In January, Kotek earned pushback from Oregon Republican Rep. Ed Diehl when she vowed to “[stand] up for Oregon and Oregon values,” which she described as including “access to reproductive and gender-affirming care.”
In a post on social media, Rep. Diehl slammed Gov. Kotek for her definition of “Oregon values,” and reaffirmed his support for “The Real Oregon Values, and the ones I defend every day in the legislature,” including the “Dignity of human life.”
READ: Republican Lawmaker Blasts Gov. Kotek For Vowing to Protect ‘Oregon Values,’ Including Abortion on Demand
Kotek’s ongoing moves to expand and promote abortion come as abortion rates have risen dramatically in Oregon according to updated reports.
In 2023, during Kotek’s governorship, a total of 10,075 abortions were performed in Oregon, up 16.2% from the 8,672 performed in 2022. More than two and a half times the number of late-term abortions (abortions performed at or after 23 weeks) took place in 2023 compared to 2022. The number of women traveling to Oregon from other states for abortions jumped 60% in 2023 compared with the prior year.
“Under Governor Kotek’s watch, late-term abortions have more than doubled in our state,” Anderson said in the press release. “Abortion ends the life of a growing human being and places women at risk of serious mental, emotional, and physical health outcomes. That’s not health care.”
Amid the increase in overall abortions in Oregon, pro-life advocates are actively working to promote the availability of life-affirming resources and alternatives for abortion-vulnerable moms and families statewide. Pro-life state lawmakers have introduced and are supporting legislation this session that would, among other things, protect babies who survive abortions as well as pain-capable babies 15 weeks gestation and older.
The majority of Americans do not support unlimited abortion. In a recent nationwide Knights of Columbus-Marist survey, 72% of people polled said they believe abortion should only be legal through six months of pregnancy at most, and 67% reject a position that would put no limits at all on abortion.
And while Kotek chose to celebrate people who actively work to end the lives of unborn babies, many abortion providers have recognized the humanity of the unborn and made the decision to step away from their professions.
One such former abortion provider is Dr. Kathi Aultman, a retired Board-Certified OB/GYN who performed over 500 abortions before becoming a prominent advocate for the unborn. Dr. Aultman was one of the keynote speakers at Oregon Right to Life’s March 1 pro-life conference, Together We Advocate.
RELATED: Hundreds of Pro-Life Advocates Attend Oregon Right to Life Annual Conference
After leaving her career, Dr. Aultman has advocated extensively on behalf of the most vulnerable and has worked with pro-life news and advocacy organization Live Action to create a video explaining the reality of surgical abortion in accurate detail. The video and others like it have helped countless people recognize the humanity of the unborn and come to oppose abortion.
A pro-life organization that helps abortion workers leave the industry, And Then There Were None, reports assisting more than 700 abortion workers like Aultman quit their jobs across 48 states and Washington, D.C.
Oregon Right to Life believes in the sanctity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death. Abortion ends the life of a genetically distinct, growing human being. We oppose abortion at any point of gestation. In rare cases, a mother may have a life threatening condition in which medical procedures intended to treat the condition of the mother may result in the unintended death of her preborn baby. At the same time, ORTL recognizes that modern medical practice has and will continue to increase the ability to save both the life of the mother and the baby. Read this and all out position statements here.
