REGIONAL REPORT / ABORTION INITIATIVE : Oregon Bypassing Politicians to Give Voters a Voice on Issue

In the renewed debate over abortion, practically everybody has had a say--judges, candidates, clerics, governors and certainly the battle-hardened professionals. Now the stage is being set to hear straight from the voters themselves.

State election officials are verifying petition signatures on a November election initiative that would seek to ban abortions in Oregon, except for women who are victims of rape or incest, or those put at life-threatening risk by pregnancy.

“This is the first time citizens will get to vote on the heart and soul of the abortion issue--no politicians, just the question: Is it right or is it wrong? And that’s pretty important,” says Lon Mabon, chairman of the conservative, “traditional-values” Oregon Citizens Alliance, which sponsors the proposition.

This week, both sides expect the government to certify the proposition for a spot on the November general election ballot, along with a second grass-roots initiative that would require doctors to notify at least one parent before performing an abortion on an under-age girl.

BACKGROUND: In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Webster decision last year allowing states greater latitude in regulating abortion, several legislatures around the country have tackled the issue. And a scattering of abortion initiatives are under consideration in a handful of states: In Colorado and Michigan, drives are under way for initiatives requiring parental consent for teen-agers seeking abortions; in Oklahoma, signatures are being gathered for an initiative limiting abortions to cases of rape, incest, mental or physical danger to the pregnant woman or physical or mental impairment of the fetus; in Nevada, abortion-rights groups are seeking ratification of existing rights.

But national experts on both sides said that Oregon is alone in having two anti-abortion initiatives in this upcoming election.

Anti-abortion forces “think that if they can win here in Oregon they can win anywhere,” says Jeannette Turk, campaign manager of the umbrella group opposing both propositions, Oregonians for Choice.

Indeed, Oregon seems an improbable target for abortion foes. State lawmakers decriminalized abortion in 1969, four years before the famed Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court case that guaranteed women the right to end a pregnancy. And twice since, in 1978 and 1986, Oregon voters have rejected initiatives to halt state taxpayer financing of abortions.

This history gives heart to abortion-rights activists. “Cautiously optimistic, you could say,” explains Jeanne Atkins of Planned Parenthood in Portland.

CHANGES PERCEIVED: But abortion opponents see signs that Oregon is changing. They were encouraged by a 1988 ballot-box victory engineered by conservatives stripping homosexuals of anti-bias protection in state service.

One problem, however, is a glaring split between leaders of the state’s anti-abortion movement.

The pragmatists among them are led by a group called Oregon Right to Life, which is sponsoring the parental notification proposal. Some leaders in this faction fear losing an up-or-down vote on abortion, given the mood of voters today.

AIMING HIGH: A more aggressive view is held by the anti-abortion purists, as represented by Mabon and his alliance. They decided to go for broke with their proposal to amend the Oregon constitution and simply outlaw abortion, with limited exceptions. The goal is to get to the Supreme Court with a fundamental case that the justices might use to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

“There are those of us willing to try even if it is a risk, or a reach,” Mabon says. “The Webster case opened the door. And we want to get a test case before the court that will challenge Roe vs. Wade right at the heart.”