A statewide ballot initiative that would end taxpayer funding of abortions in Oregon failed to obtain enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. As a result, taxpayers are still on the hook for millions of dollars to fund tens of thousands of abortions.
Initiative Petition 25 would have amended the Oregon Constitution to prohibit access to taxpayer funds to pay for abortions. Initiative 25 was intended to prevent state funding of abortion to the extent permitted by federal law.
“No public funds shall be used to pay for any abortion, except to save the life of the mother or as may be required by federal law,” the ballot proposal would have read.
“With just two days left to deliver signed petitions to the secretary of state, we’ve got only about 70,000 signatures in hand – less than half of our 150,000 signature goal,” chief petitioner Jeff Jimerson wrote.
According to the Oregon 2012 Petition Committee, one third of all abortions in Oregon are funded by taxpayers. From 2003 to 2009, that amounts to $11.1 million in state money spent on 26,000 abortions.
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