Oregon Senate Republicans continued their walk-out protest Monday to block a radical bill that would allow girls as young as 10 to have abortions – or be coerced by an abuser – without their parents’ knowledge.
State House Bill 2002B would deny parents’ rights by eliminating all age limits for abortion, meaning abortion providers can abort unborn babies of girls of any age without informing their parents. Only if the girl explicitly gives written permission would her parents be informed.
Senate Republicans walked out in protest of the radical bill on May 3, and have continued to deny a quorum to pro-abortion Democrat leaders since then. A quorum requires a two-thirds majority.
The AP reports their protest reached the 10-day mark on Monday, which is significant because of a new state law. It imposes large penalties on lawmakers from the minority party for walking out and denying a quorum. It also prohibits lawmakers from running for re-election if they have at least 10 unexcused absences.
Three now do as a result of the walk-out: Republican Sens. Dennis Linthicum and Daniel Bonham, and independent Sen. Brian Boquist, according to the report. They are expected to file a lawsuit challenging the penalties.
State Republican leaders said Democrats are hiding the truth about the bill from voters, and it’s “too extreme for Oregon.”
ACTION ALERT: Contact Oregon Senate lawmakers and urge them to oppose this radical legislation.
“[This bill] allows a child of any age, without parental knowledge, to receive an abortion,” the Oregon Senate GOP said last week in a statement on Twitter. “This will increase the vulnerability of young girls to be sex-trafficked. … HB 2002B is nothing but an extreme attack on parents and children.”
In April during a House committee meeting, an attorney for the Oregon Legislature confirmed that a 10-year-old girl or “a minor of any age” could have an abortion without her parents’ knowledge if the bill passes, according to a video shared by Oregon House Republicans.
Sponsored by state Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland, the wide-reaching legislation 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 bill passed the House.
Senate Republican said the bill also would allow young children to have irreversible sex-change hormones and surgeries, covered by their parents’ insurance plans, without their parents being informed.
Democrats control the Oregon Legislature, and they repeatedly have blasted Republicans for their protest. Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton, described the walk-out as “embarrassing” while portraying the radical pro-abortion bill as one that simply “protect[s] reproductive health freedom.”
Polls consistently show strong public support for parental consent for minors and opposition to taxpayer funding for elective abortions.
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.
