Girls as young as 10 will be allowed to abort their unborn babies without their parents’ knowledge under a bill that just passed the Oregon House.
State House Bill 2002 eliminates all age limits on abortion, meaning abortion providers can abort unborn babies on girls as young as 10 without informing their parents. Only if the girl explicitly gives written permission would her parents be informed.
Sponsored by state Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland, the wide-reaching bill also protects abortionists if they violate other states’ pro-life laws, and eliminates the crime of “concealing the birth of an infant,” effectively shielding abortion providers who end the life of an infant born alive after an attempted abortion. Another provision forces public colleges and universities to provide dangerous abortion pills on campus.
“It’s hard to comprehend how this kind of legislation is being defended by some in the legislature,” said Lois Anderson, executive director of Oregon Right to Life, after the vote.
The Oregon Capital Chronicle reports the pro-abortion bill passed the House late Monday in a 36-23 vote, with the support of all Democrats and one Republican, state Rep. Charlie Conrad, R-Dexter.
Prior to the vote, Republican lawmakers raised many concerns and made several attempts to block or return the bill to committee, but none succeeded.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Oregon Senate lawmakers and urge them to oppose this radical legislation.
“We don’t hate women,” state Rep. Emily McIntire, R-Klamath Falls, said on the House floor. “… We are here because we love people. We love this state, and we want to do everything in our power to do what is best for this state.”
Another pro-life lawmaker, state Rep. Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, shared her personal story as she urged her peers to reject the radical pro-abortion expansion, according to the report. Elmer said she was born in 1970 when abortion was legal in Oregon, but her birth mother chose life for her in difficult circumstances and she later was adopted into a loving home.
“We all have reasons for making the decisions that we make, but my birth mother did not think of her unplanned pregnancy as an inconvenience,” Elmer said.
But Nosse, the lead sponsor, insisted the bill is necessary because abortion is a “basic right” that is being threatened in the U.S. In Dobbs v. Jackson, however, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that killing unborn babies in abortions is not a constitutional right.
Nosse also dismissed concerns about young girls getting abortions without their parents’ knowledge and then suffering complications, claiming the concerns are “misleading and provocative.” He even defended the killing of his own grandchild, saying his daughter had an abortion in her 20s when she experienced an unplanned pregnancy, the report continues.
“Life is complicated. People need to have the right to make personal decisions about their lives and their families,” Nosse said. “I’m glad my daughter had the right to make all those decisions.”
But Anderson of Oregon Right to Life said the pro-abortion bill is a “bridge too far, even for Oregon,” and lawmakers are ramming it through without listening to voters.
“Today, we witnessed the pro-abortion majority’s unswerving commitment to ramming through this radical bill with minimal public input,” she said. “Despite unanswered questions in committee and well-reasoned objections from pro-life representatives during today’s floor session, the majority advanced this dangerous bill forward.”
The bill now moves to the state Senate, which Democrats also control.
Oregon has very few restrictions on abortion, and its governor has been working with leaders in Washington and California to expand elective abortions even more, including by devoting millions of taxpayer dollars to destroying unborn babies’ lives. Last year, the state legislature approved $15 million to pay for women in and out of state to travel for abortions and increase the number of abortion facilities in the state.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Oregon Senate lawmakers and urge them to oppose this radical legislation.
