ONA Statement On The Reproductive Health Equity Act Court Ruling
- 04/15/26
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) strongly condemns the federal court ruling on April 14 undermining the Reproductive Health Equity Act—a law that has been critical to ensuring patients across Oregon can access reproductive healthcare without cost barriers or discrimination.
For nearly a decade, the Reproductive Health Equity Act has guaranteed coverage for contraception, abortion care, and other essential reproductive health services without out-of-pocket costs in Oregon. This ruling threatens to erode those protections.
As nurses and frontline healthcare professionals, we see every day what happens when care— including reproductive care—is delayed, denied, or made unaffordable. The consequences are real: worse health outcomes, deepening inequities, and preventable suffering.
While the immediate impact of this ruling is not yet clear and the law remains in effect for now, this decision sets a dangerous precedent that cannot go unchallenged. Oregon has long been a leader in protecting reproductive freedom and advancing health equity, and ONA members have been on the frontlines of that work. We are proud of that legacy and we refuse to go backward.
We stand with our patients. We stand for science-based care. And we call on state leaders to continue fighting this ruling to ensure every Oregonian can access the care they need, when they need it, without barriers.
Let us be clear: care decisions belong to patients and their providers—not courts, not politicians, and not employers—because healthcare is not a privilege; it’s a fundamental human right.
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ONA Statement On The Reproductive Health Equity Act Court Ruling
- 04/15/26
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) strongly condemns the federal court ruling on April 14 undermining the Reproductive Health Equity Act—a law that has been critical to ensuring patients across Oregon can access reproductive healthcare without cost barriers or discrimination.
For nearly a decade, the Reproductive Health Equity Act has guaranteed coverage for contraception, abortion care, and other essential reproductive health services without out-of-pocket costs in Oregon. This ruling threatens to erode those protections.
As nurses and frontline healthcare professionals, we see every day what happens when care— including reproductive care—is delayed, denied, or made unaffordable. The consequences are real: worse health outcomes, deepening inequities, and preventable suffering.
While the immediate impact of this ruling is not yet clear and the law remains in effect for now, this decision sets a dangerous precedent that cannot go unchallenged. Oregon has long been a leader in protecting reproductive freedom and advancing health equity, and ONA members have been on the frontlines of that work. We are proud of that legacy and we refuse to go backward.
We stand with our patients. We stand for science-based care. And we call on state leaders to continue fighting this ruling to ensure every Oregonian can access the care they need, when they need it, without barriers.
Let us be clear: care decisions belong to patients and their providers—not courts, not politicians, and not employers—because healthcare is not a privilege; it’s a fundamental human right.
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