Portland scraps Texas boycott, allocates abortion funds

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The City Council in Portland, Oregon, has scrapped a plan to boycott Texas businesses because of a new law that prohibits most abortions there, deciding to instead set aside $200,000 to fund reproductive care. The liberal Pacific Northwest city made headlines earlier this month when Mayor Ted Wheeler announced plans to boycott Texas by banning city business with the Lone Star State. However the proposal was abandoned due to concerns it could be “punitive to Texans who, are in fact, the most affected” by the abortion law. The plan to fund reproductive services passed 4-1 on Wednesday.