On May 2nd, Politico reported on the leaked draft opinion from the US Supreme Court that, if finalized, will overturn Roe v. Wade. Since then, thousands of rural Oregonians and millions of people across the country have taken action to make their support of reproductive justice visible, from rallies in front of town halls and post offices to writing passionate letters to the editor! Oregon is taking action again tomorrow, Saturday, May 14th from Enterprise to Port Orford! Check out the list of announced events in Oregon below, and let us know if your community is also taking action! We’ll share the announcement!

Planning an action or event this weekend and looking for safety tools? Check out these resources:

A guide to creating a safety plan for events / Una guía para crear planes de seguridad para acciones y eventos
A recording of a De-Escalation for Organizers training with Ahjamu Umi
A recording of a Know Your Rights for Activists, Protesters, and Organizers training with the National Lawyers Guild
Safety team basics for rural organizers / Información basico de equipos de seguridad para organizadores rurales

Here are some highlights from rural Oregon (so far!):

The RV Pepper Shakers held daily demonstrations at Vogel Plaza in Medford. They are out there every day with food and water, chanting, holding up signs, and having conversations with their neighbors about the consequences of overturning Roe v. Wade

Moving Forward Columbia County gathered folks together and rallied at the Columbia County Courthouse

Gorge Liberation Movement held a youth-led rally at the Salmon Fountain in Hood River

Clatsop County held a Bans off our Bodies rally at the Clatsop County Courthouse

Did your community rally last week? Are you showing up this Saturday, May 14th? Let us know and we’ll spread the word!

Abortion is still legal, and Oregon is one of only a handful of states that have specified legal protection for abortion, thanks to the Health Equity Act of 2017. Under this law, insurers are required to cover the costs of abortion care, as well as other reproductive health care. If Roe v. Wade does get overturned, we expect an increase in people traveling to our state for services. Last spring, the Oregon Legislature passed the Reproductive Health Equity Fund. This fund set aside $15 million to not only provide access to essential abortion care but also invest in abortion access as a central part of Oregon’s health care infrastructure. This fund benefits Oregonians who need access to care, those who will travel to Oregon from other states for abortion care, and the communities and businesses that provide care and hospitality here in our state.

Hungry to keep the pressure on for reproductive justice across rural Oregon? Join community leaders, organizers, and activists from across the state to strategize about how we can grow the movement for human dignity, democracy, and justice at the annual Rural Caucus & Strategy Session on Saturday, June 25th in Redmond. Register by May 25th to receive an early bird discounted rate! Please note that scholarships, gas and travel funds, childcare, interpretation, carpool coordination, community housing, and more are available, so please let us know how we can support you and your group coming to the Caucus. Read more about our COVID-19 safety precautions and more at rop.org/caucus.

See you in the streets!
Jess and the ROP Team