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Roe v. Wade Overturned
The reversal of the landmark Supreme Court decision drew protesters to downtown Bend
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By Jack Harvel and Renée Alexander
In a 5-4 decision on June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark legal decision that guaranteed access to abortion in every state. The reversal of the nearly 50-year-old decision now leaves the matter of abortion’s legality to the states, 13 of which have “trigger bans” that automatically restrict or criminalize abortion, and 13 others that are likely to attempt to ban abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Oregon is one of four states that have codified the right to abortion throughout pregnancy, though 12 others permit abortion to the point of fetal viability. As a sanctuary for people seeking to terminate a pregnancy, the region is likely to see an influx of people seeking abortions from out of state.
“While the right to an abortion is safeguarded in state statute, Oregonians will be directly affected by the end of Roe vs. Wade," Planned Parenthood Colubia Willamette pointed out in a press release. "A study by The Guttmacher Institute indicates that Oregon health centers could experience a 234% increase in out-of-state patients from states like Idaho, where abortion will be immediately outlawed. An analysis in The New York Times indicates that “Eastern Oregonians could see a 35% reduction in abortion access, forced to drive hundreds of miles to the nearest provider in Bend."
Bend’s Planned Parenthood Clinic told the Source last month it had already seen patients from Texas after that state enacted a ban on abortions six weeks after conception, and is expecting an influx of out-ofstate patients as more states criminalize or restrict abortion. The decision also reduces care for a large part of Eastern Oregon that relied on Boise’s Planned Parenthood clinic for care, though on June 24, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette announced a new clinic would be built in Ontario to increase access. People protested the reversal of Roe v. Wade across the country, including in downtown Bend.
“I woke up this morning absolutely heartbroken by the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. I wanted to come out and support my community and let them know that this is not one of my values. I certainly hope this isn’t one of the values in Bend, even though women and people with uteruses in Oregon are protected at this moment,” said Lindsey Narkchareon, 24, who initially took Friday off work to do something fun but was compelled to protest instead.
Protestors started gathering downtown as early as 2 pm, and a larger organized protest formed outside of the Deschutes County Courthouse by 5 pm.
“I believe that the Supreme Court’s decision was completely flawed, and very extreme. It goes against prior precedent, and it relies on this concept that if something is not mentioned in the Constitution, then there’s no right to it. This is all because abortion wasn’t mentioned in the Constitution? Neither were campaign contributions,” said Ariel Vee, 35, who also protested in downtown Bend.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek lamented the loss of reproductive rights and emphasized the passage of the Reproductive Health Equity Act that codified abortion into Oregon law.
Her Republican opponent, Christine Drazan, celebrated the Supremes Court’s decision.
“Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, Oregon will continue to have among the most extreme abortion laws in the country and around the world. As governor, I will stand up for life by vetoing legislation designed to push Oregon further outside the mainstream,” Drazan said in a statement.
—GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE
Renée Alexander
Lindsey Narkchareon, Ariel Vee, and Gina Vee, from left to right, protested the reversal of Roe v. Wade Friday in downtown Bend.
MapChart.net.
A map showing the legal status of abortion by state.
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Luck’s Got (Almost) Nothing to do With It
How a local lottery player’s system won him more than $100,000
By Jack Harvel
The Powerball is currently valued at $365 million. In a couple of days, some lucky person could pick the right combination of numbers, changing their life forever. One local man may have a better chance than most, thanks to his unique outlook on the lottery. Christopher Thomas has won more than $130,000 playing Keno over the last several years.
Keno is an old game, originating in China and fabled to have raised the tax dollars that funded the Great Wall. The rules are simple: there are 80 numbers on a sheet, players choose how many numbers they want to select — called spots — and then pick their numbers. Numbers are then selected randomly, and players are paid out based on how many of their numbers hit.
Thomas’ leap into Keno started in 2013. He’d played the game casually, but usually opted for the lower three-spot or four-spot options, which had lower payouts but a higher probability of winning.
“With my last $5 I decided, ‘Oh, what the hell, I’ll play the eight spot.’ And in the third game, I got seven out of eight numbers and won $1,750. That was my first taxable win,” Thomas said. “The thought occurred to me, since I won that maybe I should just take three days and play $5 every hour on the hour and just see what happens. And on the third day, I hit the seven spot, and won $14,300.”
Thomas’s first two big wins were exciting, but lucky. He decided to keep playing regularly, and two weeks later, he hit an eight spot for $37,000. It remains his biggest win to date, and he would’ve missed it if his plans for the evening hadn’t fallen through.
“The only reason I won the $37,000 – and I still laugh about this ‘til this day – is because I got stood up on a date,” he said. “I got the pleasure of calling him and saying, ‘Hey, thanks for standing me up, because I just won $37 grand,’ which was really cool, and just kind of started this wheel in motion.”
After the big win and a photo shoot with the Oregon Lottery, Thomas said he started playing more strategically. He started trying to get a feel for how numbers tended to cluster throughout the day, and the effectiveness of bonuses. He even started studying numerology.
“I’m always learning something new, but I would say I became more focused and paid more attention around 2015-16,” Thomas said. “The last few years, I’ve been winning a little bit more because I’ve been paying attention to how they group more, and anticipating how the numbers may come up the next game.”
After his fifth big win, people started suggesting Thomas write a book about his gambling exploits. He’s journaled about Keno for several years and typed out notes on the computer; before he knew it he’d written a book.
“There are a lot of lottery winners who have done the same thing and written books. Everyone has their own perspective. Every state is different with what games they have and their rules and regulations. But I just thought it would be fun,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the most important chapter in his book is on responsible gambling. He learned how much money people can waste in the lottery when the Powerball nearly reached $2 billion in 2018, and he saw people spending nearly $1,000 on tickets. He later befriended someone who, in just six months, blew through the $175,000 she earned from selling her home.
“You gamble first and foremost to have fun, and not take it too seriously. But you also gamble in the hopes of winning that kind of money, not to throw it back in,” Thomas said. “That was a very, very important chapter to write to make sure people understand – your rent, your utilities, all your bills come first. Gambling comes last, and just have fun with it.”
Responsible gambling is one of the reasons Thomas prefers Keno. A game of Keno only costs $1 without any multipliers or bullseyes, and has a better chance of paying off than other lottery games.
“It’s not only the cheapest game to play, but it also has the best odds of winning some of the bigger amounts,” he said. “On video poker, if you put 20 bucks in, and the machine’s not paying off those 20 bucks, it’s gone in like five minutes. But on Keno, 20 bucks will last you an hour and a half. So I always tell people, Keno may not be as exciting as video poker, but in the long run the odds are way better.”
Thomas isn’t playing as much as he used to — he’s currently spending 30 hours a week pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health care management on top of a 40-hour work week as a caregiver for elderly and disabled clients. For years, he has kept a tight lip about his system, hoping to avoid people pestering him about it, or hitting him up for cash.
“I used to be a little more quiet, because I would literally get mobbed and have people ask me for money more than you can imagine,” Thomas said. “But one thing I’ve learned is how to say no.”
—CHRISTOPHER THOMAS
Jack Harvel
Christopher Thomas holds two photo shoots he did with the Oregon Lottery after winning big in Keno.
Courtesy of the Oregon Lottery
Noticias en Español Roe v. Wade Anulada La anulación histórica de la Corte Suprema atrajo a mucha gente al centro Bend
Por / By Jack Harvel and Renée Alexander Translated by/Traducida por Jéssica Sánchez-Millar
El 24 de junio la Corte Suprema anuló Roe v. Wade, la histórica decisión de la corte suprema que garantizaba el acceso al aborto en cada estado, en una decisión de 5 contra 4. La marcha atrás de una decisión de casi 50 años deja la legalidad del aborto en manos de cada estado, 13 de los cuales “iniciaron prohibiciones” que automáticamente restringen o penalizan el aborto y otros 13 con posibilidad de prohibir el aborto, según el Instituto Guttmacher.
Oregon es uno de cuatro estados que han acordado el derecho al aborto durante el embarazo, sin embargo, otros 12 estados permiten el aborto hasta el punto de viabilidad fetal. A pesar de los acuerdos de derecho al aborto en la constitución del estado, es probable que la región vea un flujo de personas buscando abortar fuera del estado.
“Si bien, el derecho a un aborto es protegido por el estatuto del estado, los habitantes de Oregon se verán directamente afectados por la suspensión de Roe v. Wade. Un estudio de The Guttmacher Institute indica que los centros de salud de Oregon podrían pasar por un aumento del 234% en la atención a pacientes de otros estados, como el estado de Idaho, en donde el aborto será prohibido de inmediato. Un estudio del The New York Times indica que “los habitantes del Este de Oregon podrían ver una reducción en el acceso al aborto del 35%, obligando a las personas a manejar cientos de millas hasta la clínica más cercana en Bend,“ dijo Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette en una conferencia de prensa.
La clínica de Planned Parenthood en Bend le dijo a the Source el mes pasado que ya había atendido pacientes de Texas después que el estado dictará una prohibición de seis semanas y se espera un flujo de pacientes de otros estados tan pronto como más estados penalicen o restrinjan el aborto. Personas protestaron por la anulación de Roe v. Wade en todo el país, incluso en el centro de Bend.
“Desperté esta mañana desconsolada por la decisión de la anulación de Roe v. Wade. Quise venir y apoyar a mi comunidad y mostrar que este no es uno de mis valores. Espero en verdad que este no sea uno de los valores en Bend, aunque las mujeres y las personas con matriz en Oregon están protegidas en este momento, dijo Lindsey Narkchareon de 24 años, quien tomó el viernes para hacer algo divertido pero se vio obligada a protestar.
La candidata democrata a la gubernatura, Tina Kotek lamentó la pérdida de los derechos reproductivos y enfatizó la aprobación a la Ley de Equidad para la Salud Reproductiva que acordó el aborto en la ley en Oregon. Su opositora republicana, Christine Drazan, celebró la decisión de la Corte Suprema. “A pesar de la decisión de la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos, Oregon seguirá teniendo una de las leyes al aborto más extremas del país y del mundo. Como gobernadora, defenderé la vida al vetar la legislatura asignada para presionar a Oregon a salir de su tendencia dominante,” dijo Drazan en un informe.
—GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE
