Portland scraps Texas boycott, allocates abortion funds – KIRO 7 News Seattle

PORTLAND, Oregon – (AP) – Portland, Oregon city council abandoned a plan to boycott Texan businesses over a new law banning most abortions there, and decided on Wednesday to use $ 200,000 to fund the instead Provide reproductive care.

The liberal city in the Pacific Northwest made headlines earlier this month when Mayor Ted Wheeler announced plans to ban city business with the Lone Star State. However, the proposal was abandoned because of concerns that it might “punish the Texans who are actually most affected by the abortion law”.

“I’ve heard from some that this (law) doesn’t affect our local community … I couldn’t argue anymore,” Wheeler said during a meeting on Wednesday. “If this Texas law, which restricts women’s rights, is allowed to stand, it will spill over to other states – it will Roe v. Endanger Wade and affect our constituents here in the city of Portland. “

The boycott would have banned the purchase of goods and services by Portland from Texas and employees traveling in Bar City until the legislation is reversed or repealed.

The boycott threat drew the ire of Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on himself, who called Portland a “dumpster fire” on Twitter and called its leaders “corrupt” in response.

The new reproductive services funding plan was passed 4-1 on Wednesday. Commissioner Mingus Mapps had the only “no” vote, saying he was “really confused” about what the city council was trying to achieve by providing the $ 200,000 to fund reproductive care.

“Our city is overwhelmed by several crises, this council should focus on resolving them,” said Mapps, who spoke out against the new Texan anti-abortion law. “We have a crisis of gun violence. We have a homelessness crisis. We have a trash crisis. And we have a pandemic. “

The announcement of a possible ban by Portland from doing business with Texas seemed to have come well before the actual policy-making process, as officials scrambled to pinpoint how such a boycott might work or affect Oregon’s largest city.

Spokeswoman Heather Hafer said the city had bought a little less than $ 35 million in goods and services from Texas in the past five years.

During Labor Day, city officials met with reproductive medicine providers and advocates to discuss the boycott. Wheeler said proponents “disagreed with some elements of the ban” and suggested alternatives.

As a result, the Council-approved move will allocate US $ 200,000 to organizations “providing reproductive health care programs and services.” The resolution does not specify where these organizations should be located, but the city is expected to select the groups and finalize the grant funds in the fall.

The resolution also instructs the council to send a letter to the Oregon Congressional Delegation asking them to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.

“Will what we do today fundamentally change the way Texan lawmakers think about it? Probably not, “said Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty.” But what it will do is send a very powerful message to the people of Texas that we will not fail them just because they are unfortunately in the lead , that you have.”

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Sara Cline is a corps member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a not-for-profit national utility that places journalists on local newsrooms to cover undercover issues.

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