Call to Action
The campaign has begun to secure a place on the November 2026 ballot for the Equal Rights for All constitutional amendment. Equal Rights for All (IP 33) supports all Oregonians by making it clear that equality language in our state constitution protects sexual orientation and same-gender marriage, gender identity, and the right to make personal decisions about reproductive and gender-related health care, including abortion and health care for transgender people.
The two simplest and most direct ways to help are by signing the Equal Rights for All petition as soon as possible and voting for it in November 2026. Remember, you can only submit your signature once.
Recent History
The year 2023 held great promise for many Oregonians. Embedded in the State legislative agenda for the year was SJR 33 (Senate Joint Resolution 33), aka the Equal Rights Amendment Constitutional Referral. The referral was a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision repealing Americans’ right to abortion. For those Oregonians whose basic rights fell under threat from the Dobbs decision, SJR 33 was a lifeline of hope. The proposed State constitutional amendment sought to protect Oregonians’ rights to make personal decisions about their lives, access the healthcare they need, and marry who they love without political interference or government discrimination—regardless of sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation (ACLU)
Unfortunately for many Oregonians, SJR 33 never found its way out of the 2023 legislative session to become a 2024 ballot measure that the people of our state could vote on. A legislative walkout by state Republican representatives crippled the State Senate’s ability to conduct business, and the hopes of many died on the vine.
The only silver lining in this unpleasant chapter was that alarm bells sounded for many Oregonians. The increasing probability that federal courts could not or would not protect the rights of Americans became apparent to many. Additional concerns were raised by the Dobbs decision when Justice Clarence Thomas said the U.S. Supreme Court should “reconsider all of the Court’s substantive due-process precedents,” including cases that established protections for same-gender marriage and contraception.
What Happens Now?
With the death of SJR 33, the torch passed to the citizens of our state, and now a grassroots campaign is underway to bring the Equal Rights For All amendment back to the ballot box in November of 2026. The amendment protects Oregonians’ right to make their own private healthcare decisions and marry who they love. It is a plain and simple proposition: government bureaucrats and politicians should not be interfering with complex medical decisions between individuals and their doctors. We are all aware of the many states where the religious convictions of a few are forced upon all citizens, states where the legislature believes women are not capable of making their own medical decisions, and the state feels justified usurping their rights and acting on their behalf, thus making these women second-class citizens.
Fortunately, the majority of Oregonians are aware of these threats to their civil liberties :
- 7 in 10 Oregon voters believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and more than 4 in 5 Oregon voters want no government interference in this private and personal healthcare decision.
- Nearly 75% of Oregon voters believe all people should have access to the health care they need, regardless of their gender identity.
- 8 in 10 Oregon voters think same-gender marriage should be legal.
Equal Rights for All (IP 33) supports all Oregonians by making it clear that equality language in our state constitution protects sexual orientation and same-gender marriage, gender identity, and the right to make personal decisions about reproductive and gender-related health care, including abortion and health care for transgender people. This measure doesn’t change the medical age of consent or impact funding for health care programs like the Oregon Health Plan.
It is also important to remember that the Oregon Constitution currently has language defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. This section remains suspended for now because a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision held that the constitution protects same-gender marriage. However, some justices on today’s U.S. Supreme Court have 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.
What Does the Amendment Say:
The exact language of the Equal Rights for All amendment is:
Section 46, Article I of the Constitution of the State of Oregon, is amended to read:
(1) Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the State of Oregon or by any political subdivision in this state on account of sex.
(2) “On account of sex” includes laws, policies, and actions that discriminate, in intent or effect, based on:
(a) pregnancy/pregnancy outcomes and related health decisions;
(b) gender identity and related health decisions;
(c) sexual orientation, including the right to marry; or
(d) sex.
(3) Article XV, section 5a is hereby repealed.
[(2)] (4) The Legislative Assembly shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this section.
[(3)] (5) Nothing in this section shall diminish a right otherwise available to persons under section 20 of this Article or any other provision of this Constitution.
How Can You Help?
The two simplest and most direct ways to help are by signing the Equal Rights for All petition as soon as possible and voting for it in November 2026. Remember, you can only submit your signature once.
If you want to volunteer to do more, you can sign up at: Equal Rights Oregon
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