Oregon Measure 8, Abortion Ban Initiative (1990)

Oregon Measure 8
Election date November 6, 1990
Topic Abortion
Status d Defeated
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

Oregon Measure 8 was on the ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment in Oregon on November 6, 1990. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported prohibiting all abortion procedures in Oregon, except when the pregnant woman's life is endangered, or in cases of rape or incest.

A "no" vote opposed prohibiting all abortion procedures in Oregon, except when the pregnant woman's life is endangered, or in cases of rape or incest.

Election results

Oregon Measure 8
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		355,963	32.26%
No		747,599	67.74%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

Measure 8 would have prohibited all abortions in the state of Oregon, except to save the life of the pregnant woman, or in cases of rape or incest. If passed, it would have been the strictest abortion law in America at the time.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Measure 8 was as follows:

“

Shall the state constitution prohibit abortion except to prevent death of pregnant woman and in reported cases of rape or incest?

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Supporters

Organizations

• Oregon Citizens Alliance
• Oregon Right to Life

Arguments

• Lon Mabon, chairman of the Oregon Citizen's Alliance: "Any society that is going to be morally healthy, that is going to be an upright society, has to have at its base a respect for life."

Opposition

Opponents

Organizations

• American Association of University Women
• NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon

Arguments

• Pat Grove, coordinator of American Association of University Women, Albany: "It does not provide any protection for women when the fetus is severely deformed, when the woman is mentally ill, or when the pregnancy would harm a woman who already suffers from a serious medical condition."

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

1990 Measures

• 1990 Measures
• Abortion on the ballot
• 1990 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: 1988-1995
• Oregon State Constitution
• State of Oregon Official Voters' Pamphlet November 1990