Since the Trump administration took office, it has systematically attacked women’s health and rights. That is why it’s more important than ever for Oregon voters to be informed in advance of the 2018 election. We must unite to have the freedom to control our bodies and our lives.

Fortunately, the resistance is strong. People across the state have been fighting back, spurring the largest grassroots movement this country has seen in generations. More women are running for office — and winning seats no one thought was possible. Last month, Deschutes County voters passed Measure 101, a progressive measure to support health care funding for the most vulnerable.

The stakes for women’s health were especially high: More than 50 percent of Planned Parenthood’s patients rely on Medicaid for critical preventive health care services. Measure 101’s overwhelming success should be a wakeup call: Bend is changing, and we need representation that reflects our community values.

But our work is far from over. More than ever, voters deserve the truth about the candidates for Oregon governor — particularly the likely Republican nominee, state Rep. Knute Buehler. Depending on who he’s talking to, Buehler fashions himself as a moderate. But his history demonstrates otherwise.

In addition to opposing Measure 101, Buehler voted against the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which safeguards no-cost contraception and the right to safe, legal abortion in Oregon. This was the most important vote in Buehler’s legislative career to protect access to reproductive health care — and he voted no.

In a radio interview last December, Buehler bragged about his vote, claiming that this landmark law would make Oregon “a magnet state for abortions.” These views are out of touch and don’t respect the decisions that women and their families face every day. Buehler is simply not in line with Oregon values.

At a town hall last April, when asked why he wasn’t defending Planned Parenthood in the face of relentless federal attacks — including the health center that serves his constituents — Buehler dodged responsibility, saying: “I don’t have much influence on federal policy. I can’t help on that.”

That’s not showing leadership. That’s playing politics with women’s lives.

Our community deserves a women’s health champion in Salem. Oregon voters can visit TheTruthAboutKnute.com to learn more about why Buehler can’t be trusted to protect women’s health and rights.

And that’s not all. Right-wing politicians like U.S. Rep. Greg Walden are trying to defund Planned Parenthood, which would prevent thousands of Oregonians from accessing the health care provider they’ve relied on for decades. Let’s be clear: People don’t come to Planned Parenthood to make a political statement. They come for affordable, quality health care. Planned Parenthood’s Bend Health Center provides about 6,500 patient visits every year. That translates to more than 6,000 sexually transmitted infection tests, more than 500 Pap tests and nearly 500 breast exams. Without Planned Parenthood, these patients would be left with nowhere to go.

What’s more, this year, voters might face a dangerous state constitutional amendment that would restrict abortion for low-income Oregonians. For more than 40 years, most Americans have been saying abortion should be safe and legal. And that means it should be safe and legal for everyone — not only for those who can afford it. When a woman is living paycheck to paycheck, denying coverage for an abortion can push her deeper into poverty.

In 2018, we are working toward a world in which everyone has the freedom and opportunity to control their lives at the most basic level: our bodies, our families and our life’s path.

Now is the time to show our power, and make sure all of us have the right to live full, healthy lives.

— Nancy Boever lives in Bend.