Governor Kotek declares March 10 "Abortion Provider Appreciation Day."
"Oregon leads the nation with the strongest protections to access reproductive health care, including abortion. In these uncertain times, I’ll safeguard our values," Kotek wrote in a post on X.
Oregon Senate Republicans shared their reaction to Kotek's declaration and slammed the governor for focusing on "abortion provider appreciation" over fixing other issues in the state.
"Fix crime? Fix schools? Fix affordability? Nah… Kotek declares ‘Abortion Provider Appreciation Day’ instead," the group wrote in post on X with a meme attached.
In 2023, Kotek signed the Access to Reproductive Health Care law, House Bill 2002. The bill protects access to reproductive healthcare and provides state funding to support the work of community organizations and clinical partners to ensure that people across the state have broader access to the reproductive healthcare they need.
The bill also allows minors to undergo sex reassignment surgery or obtain an abortion without their parent’s permission.
According to the governor's office, reproductive health equity is a long-time priority of Kotek. (MOISES AVILA/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the governor's office, reproductive health equity is a long-time priority of Kotek, both from her time as speaker of the Oregon House and during her tenure as governor.
The Pro-Life group "Oregon Right to Life" reacted to the governor's proclamation and said they would not be supporting the measure.
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"You may have heard it's Abortion Provider Appreciation Day—but we're not celebrating abortion. We're honoring a brave former abortion worker who chose to walk away from the industry," the organization wrote in a post on X.
According to Oregon Health Authority data, of the 10,075 abortions provided in Oregon in 2023, 1,661 were patients who reside out-of-state, reflecting a nearly 60% increase from the prior year.
Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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