In 1969, in the tumultuous years before Roe v. Wade, Republican Gov. Tom McCall spoke out against Oregon's abortion ban.

"Women," he

"are discriminated against by abortion laws that are callous tools of shame instead of useful social instruments."

Later that year, Oregon became one of the first states to decriminalize abortion. Today, Oregon remains a national leader in family planning -- not just because voters regularly elect pro-choice Democrats, but because the state retains a pragmatic and libertarian streak on so-called "women's issues" like abortion and contraception.

The national GOP should take a history lesson from Oregon, if Republicans hope to close their gender gap and win back the presidency: The party won't get far by taking 1950s-era positions on reproductive rights, as it has in this year's presidential election and national convention. The party certainly can't thrive over the long haul if it picks fights with women voters and appears 1) disinterested in women's health and 2) eager to expand the government's power over private family decisions.

In the late 1960s, under most circumstances, women in Oregon couldn't legally obtain an abortion. Their rights were restricted in endless other ways, as the late Betty Roberts, a former Democratic lawmaker and Oregon Supreme Court justice, recounted in

.

"It may be hard to believe today that women couldn't keep their birth names when they got married," she wrote, "couldn't get credit in their own names, couldn't stay at a motel alone, couldn't eat at certain restaurants at lunchtime, couldn't get insurance unless they had a husband, couldn't be admitted to some trade schools."

The Oregon Legislature and courts slowly but steadily changed the status quo. Many laws that limited women's ability to earn a living and function as adult members of society went away. Legalizing early-term abortions and improving access to contraception were part of this larger sea change in Oregon.

The votes didn't come entirely from Portland-area Democrats, mind you. Conservative Republicans from more rural parts of the state also led the way. Some were persuaded by the medical testimony of doctors. Others responded to their constituents in ranching and farming towns who thought government should back off on abortion and other private family matters.

Either way, the Oregon ethos was clear. Liberal empathy, plus libertarian-tinged pragmatism, made for a state that believed in family planning. This was a woman's issue, to be sure, but it was also about improving people's self-sufficiency: By dropping laws that undermined women and doctors, the thinking went, Oregon would be better off.

That thinking prevails today. Though abortion remains a tough subject for many Oregon voters and lawmakers (and the state GOP in particular), Oregon is still one of the nation's strongest supporters of abortion rights and access to contraception. This hasn't sent Oregon into a moral free fall. In fact, Oregon's abortion rate and teen pregnancy rate are

.

This history makes the direction of the national Republican Party all the more distressing.

GOP leaders just authored a platform for their national convention that opposes all abortions, including in cases of rape and incest. Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan favors a near-total abortion ban and limited funding for family planning. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has expressed every possible opinion on abortion and family planning, including full opposition to both.

It's no wonder that Romney, who otherwise polls well against President Obama, trails so significantly among women voters.

Republicans hope to close their gender gap during this week's national convention. They'll showcase women speakers and try to present Romney in a warmer light. They'll also attempt to take the spotlight off abortion, which dominated last week's headlines after U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., made

." They'll aim to turn voters' attention to the economy and the federal deficit, two areas where Romney excels.

The diversion tactics might work -- but I doubt it. A star appearance by Condoleezza Rice simply can't compensate for the party's regressive attitude toward ordinary women.

I'd love to see the national GOP close its gender gap by adopting a more moderate approach to family planning. I'd also love to see Republicans embrace the ideals that have guided Oregon, a state where contraception isn't a dirty word and "pro-choice Republican" isn't a total oxymoron.

This miracle won't happen before November, which hurts Romney's odds of victory and affects races all the way down the ticket. If the GOP keeps marching in an anti-woman direction, it will always provoke, always mobilize, but rarely win.

-- Associate editor

The Oregonian