Oregon launches abortion hotline offering free legal advice

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon is launching a new abortion hotline offering free legal advice to callers, moving to further defend abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer and eliminated federal protections for the procedure.

The state's Department of Justice announced the initiative Monday. It is modeled on similar hotlines launched by the attorneys general of New York and Delaware, as states where abortion remains legal have seen an increase in the number of patients traveling from areas where the procedure has been banned or restricted.

“The Hotline will fill an important need in our state for callers to understand the status of our reproductive health laws, including issues related to abortion access,” Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in a news release. “This is especially important because we share a border with Idaho, which has a near-total abortion ban.”

Abortion remains legal at all stages of pregnancy in Oregon, which has worked with California and Washington to promote the West Coast as a safe haven for the procedure.

People can call the anonymous hotline from any state for free legal advice and receive a call back from a lawyer within 48 hours.

“We expect there might be calls from people from out of state asking what the legal landscape is in Oregon with respect to abortion,” said Molly Honore, a lawyer with Markowitz Herbold, a firm helping to staff the pro bono hotline. “We expect there will be questions from providers and questions from people seeking care.”

Honore also said she expects calls from people within Oregon seeking clarification about their rights in the state.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, near-total bans on abortion have been implemented in Alabama, Arkansas,...