It’s been almost a year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision turned regulation of abortion over to the states.
In Oregon – which codified abortion access in state law six years ago – a Planned Parenthood administrator says it’s been a disruptive time since.
Amy Handler is the interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon, which is based in Eugene. She said her organization has seen lots of traffic from states that have enacted their own abortion bans since last year.
“We’ve seen patients from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin," she said. "And we’ve seen overflow patients from California, Portland, and Washington.”
Handler said while it’s been taxing on Planned Parenthood staff, it doesn’t compare to what people seeking abortion services are going through just to make it to Oregon.
Anti-abortion advocates consider the end of Roe v. Wade a major victory, saying it protects the lives of the unborn.