Barbara Smith Warner Condemns Texas Abortion Ban
"It is clear the Republican Party cares little about the rule of law"
Oregon House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner (D-Portland) made a strongly-worded statement following last night's passage of SB 8, a Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks.
Smith Warner said, "Oregon is the only state with no limits whatsoever on abortion, because abortion is health care. What is happening in Texas with SB 8 is critical to every Oregonian, because an assault on reproductive rights anywhere is an assault on reproductive rights everywhere.
"Across the country, we are seeing attacks on basic human rights and our democracy. From banning books in schools to Jim Crow era voting laws and attempts to overthrow democratically elected governments here in Oregon and in D.C., we are up against anti-democratic forces who will stop at nothing to implement their radical, white nationalist, misogynist agenda.
As the science confirms more and more about the early stages of life, some insiders see the US Supreme Court possibly preparing to overturn the landmark case which legalized abortion. Smith Warner continued, "Despite Roe v. Wade being settled law for almost 50 years, we continue to see ongoing attacks by the Republican Party to end abortion care. These bans disproportionately harm low-income, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities and other marginalized groups who lack the resources to seek care outside the state.
"It is clear the Republican Party cares little about the rule of law, having pushed through three illegitimate Supreme Court Justices who share their radical beliefs. The Court's failure to uphold Constitutional precedent is a clear, present and dangerous sign of what is to come. We must act now or face even more dire consequences.