Gov. Brown attacks ‘Trump gag rule’ on abortion access

Gov. Kate Brown issued a statement Monday sharply critical of the Trump Administration’s plan to place funding restrictions on providers of reproductive health care who refer their patients to abortion providers.

“In Oregon, we have made substantial progress to ensure that all Oregonians have the ability to seek health care and make their own decisions about their health care,” the governor said.

“If the Trump gag rule is adopted and legal challenges are unsuccessful, it would leave me no choice but to act in the best interests of the citizens of Oregon and our state law, and withdraw our state’s participation from an unethical, ineffective Title X program that reduces access to essential preventive health services,” she added.

“I am not turning back on Oregonians’ access to quality health care,” Brown said. “Regardless of what this administration does, I am prepared to work toward protecting and continuing access to family planning, reproductive and preventive health care for low-income and underserved Oregonians.”