Equal Rights for All affirms equal rights in Oregon by making clear that the equality language in our state constitution protects sexual orientation and same-gender marriage; gender identity; and the right to make private, personal decisions about reproductive and gender-related health care, including abortion and health care for transgender people.

Oregonians are proud to live in a state that has strong statutory laws that protect reproductive health care rights, including abortion and contraceptives. Yet year after year, extremist politicians have introduced bills in the Oregon legislature to attack these statutory protections, and they've been emboldened even more by the rollback of Roe v. Wade. A powerful way to protect ourselves is to make sure our rights and freedoms are enshrined in our state constitution. This way, no matter which politicians are in power, they won’t be able to take away our rights.

Oregon’s Constitution still has language defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. This section is suspended for now because a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision held that same-gender marriage is protected by the U.S. Constitution. However, the Justices on today’s Supreme Court are radically different from the 2015 Court, and some of them have already signaled their desire to take away same-gender marriage rights. If this happens, marriage equality in Oregon would be an open legal question, causing confusion about the status of thousands of same-gender marriages at best and rolling back hard-won rights at worst. 

We must act now before extremist judges and politicians do, by removing discriminatory language from the Oregon Constitution and clarifying that our constitution’s current equal rights amendment protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

We believe that every person should be able to make private and personal health care decisions with their doctors and loved ones without interference from politicians. Equal Rights for All will ensure that no politician in Oregon can take away a person’s private and personal right to make their own decisions about health care, regardless of one’s ability to become pregnant, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Although Oregon is a leader in the nation for reproductive justice, the majority of Oregon counties have zero abortion providers. Hospitals and clinics of all kinds are closing or shrinking the services they provide. In our vision, every Oregonian has access to the health care they need, not just the rights on paper.

This measure doesn’t change the medical age of consent or impact funding for health care programs like the Oregon Health Plan.

Extremist politicians’ attacks on women, trans people, and people in same-gender relationships come from a long history of discrimination deeply rooted in harmful sex and gender stereotypes. These politicians know that they can destroy all of our rights and freedoms by targeting one group after another. By uniting and fighting for our rights together, we’re ensuring a future Oregon where everyone has equal rights and freedoms.

Our state is considered one of the best places to start a small business, join a union, and have equitable workplace conditions. Labor organizations nationally and here in Oregon have passed numerous resolutions in recent years committing to supporting their transgender coworkers and access to gender affirming care. Passing the Equal Rights for All measure will ensure that vulnerable workers' healthcare access and dignity is protected into the future.

When our measure passes, Oregonian employers will be able to attract and maintain the best talent, because no one will fear that living in Oregon will mean losing their rights.

Historically Oregon has been a trailblazer in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and increasing access to reproductive care. However, the political landscape has changed recently. We are one bad Supreme Court decision away from losing rights in Oregon. The U.S. Supreme Court did it in 2022 when they overturned Roe v. Wade, and they can do it again. Let’s be proactive and secure our equal rights and freedom.