Oregon Measure 7, Prohibit Public Funds for Abortions Initiative (1978)

Oregon Measure 7
Election date November 7, 1978
Topic Abortion
Status d Defeated
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

Oregon Measure 7 was on the ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment in Oregon on November 7, 1978. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported prohibiting state agencies from spending state money on abortions and from providing programs that promoted abortion.

A "no" vote opposed prohibiting state agencies from spending state money on abortions and from providing programs that promoted abortion.

Election results

Oregon Measure 7
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		431,577	48.32%
No		461,542	51.68%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Measure design

See also: Text of measure

The measure would have amended the Oregon Constitution to prohibit state agencies from spending state funds on abortion and from providing any programs that promoted abortion.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Measure 7 was as follows:

“

PROHIBITS STATE EXPENDITURES, PROGRAMS OR SERVICES FOR ABORTION —Purpose: Measure prohibits any state agency from spending any state money for abortions, and from providing any programs or services promoting abortion.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Supporters

Organizations

• Oregon Right to Life
• Oregonians Opposed to State Financed Abortion

Arguments

• Bea McLellan of Oregonians Opposed to State Financed Abortion: "If state funds are not available to poor women, people are just going to learn to be more careful and not get pregnant."

Opposition

Opponents

Organizations

• ACLU of Oregon
• Oregon Taxpayers for Choice

Arguments

• Stevie Remington, executive director of ACLU of Oregon: "That's a Constitutional right approved by an all-male Supreme Court. When you say that a poor woman can't exercise that right, it's a denial of her equal protection under the law.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing ballot measures in Oregon

Citizens in Oregon have the power of initiative. This ballot measure was placed on the ballot through an initiative petition. The number of signatures required to qualify an initiated state statute for the ballot in Oregon was equal to 6% of the votes cast for the office of governor in the state's most recent gubernatorial election.

See also

1978 Measures

• 1978 Measures
• Abortion policy on the ballot
• 1978 legislative sessions

Oregon

• Oregon ballot measures
• Oregon ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Oregon Blue Book Initiative, Referendum and Recall: 1972-1978
• Oregon State Constitution
• State of Oregon Official Voters' Pamphlet November 1978