A new anti-abortion law passed by an Oregon county is forcing a female jail inmate to carry her unwanted pregnancy to term, officials said Friday.
The ordinance, passed Thursday by the three-member Yamhill County board of commissioners, prohibits any county “agent” from facilitating performance of an abortion “by any means.”
The law appears to be the first of its kind in the nation and directly affects 31-year-old Joni Ledbetter, who is jailed on robbery charges in McMinnville.
Under the law the county will not let her out of jail, in custody, for a trip to get an abortion, which Ledbetter is willing to pay for.
“No government agency can force a woman to continue a pregnancy she doesn’t want to continue,” said David Fidanque, executive director of the American Civil Liberties of Oregon, which is challenging the law in court. “All women have a right to choose whether or not to end a pregnancy. The county commissioners have no authority to override the Constitution.”
Lawyers for Ledbetter said she did not know of her pregnancy when she was arrested July 27.
