PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — In a story first reported by Politico, the United States Supreme Court will strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion, along with a subsequent decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Politico reports: “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito writes in the document, labeled as the “Opinion of the Court.” “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
A KOIN 6 News story in October 2020 showed Oregon abortions plummeted that year. The record number of abortions in Oregon was 8231, but in 2020 the record fell to 6991.
Then another record-low number of abortions was recorded in 2021. Preliminary statistics from the Oregon Health Authority shows last year there were 6577.
But in Oregon, the numbers started to dip in 2001, when there were 14,272 abortions.
Planned Parenthood officials told KOIN 6 News in 2020 there were many reasons why women sought and received fewer abortions.
“This trend confirms what we’ve long known to be true: Increasing people’s access to affordable and effective methods of birth control — as well as accurate and inclusive sexual health education — leads to fewer unintended pregnancies. Restrictive state laws and abstinence-only programs are not responsible for a reduction in abortion. This shouldn’t be up for debate,” Planned Parenthood said in a 2020 statement.