(Oregon Right to Life) — Oregon’s 83rd legislative session kicked off Tuesday, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle introduced and sponsored a slate of bills aimed at tackling issues relevant to the Oregon communities they represent.
In addition to addressing concerns about housing, emergency management, and other statewide issues, some bills promote protections for the unborn while others would expand abortion funding.
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In the House of Representatives, Republican Rep. Bobby Levy (R–Echo) sponsored HB 2372 to enshrine explicit legal protections for babies who survive abortion attempts. Senator Kim Thatcher (R–Keizer) sponsored the companion bill in the Senate.
In addition, Republican Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham (R–The Dalles), at request of former Senator Dennis Linthicum (R–Klamath Falls), (who is now replaced by his wife, Senator Diane Linthicum), are sponsoring a Senate bill that would protect unborn babies at 15 weeks gestation and older, an age when research indicates they can feel pain. The companion bill will be carried in the House of Representatives by Representative E. Werner Reschke (R-Klamath Falls).
Additional bills would support the ability of parents to safely surrender their infants in a “safe haven baby box,” uphold parental rights in the medical treatment of children, provide financial support for pregnant moms, and more.
Meanwhile, Democrat lawmakers have introduced bills that would threaten unborn lives and expand abortion funding.
One bill would urge the federal Congress to “pass legislation recognizing that the full spectrum of reproductive health care [including abortion] is a fundamental right of all women.” Other statewide “health equity” measures would direct funding toward expanding abortion access.
The moves to further expand abortion access come as recent Oregon Health Authority (OHA) numbers indicate that overall abortions jumped 16.2% statewide in 2023, the number of women traveling to Oregon from other states for abortions rose 60%, and more than two and a half times the number of late-term abortions (abortions performed at or after 23 weeks) took place in 2023 when compared with the prior year.
READ: Late-Term Abortions More Than Doubled In 2023, Oregon Health Authority Data Shows
Oregon Right to Life has identified the bills our pro-life organization supports and opposes this legislative session.
Pro-life advocates interested in tracking these bills are invited to visit ortl.org/action and click “View key legislation” on the right side of the page to view all bills supported and opposed by Oregon Right to Life.
Oregon Right to Life believes in the sanctity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death. Abortion ends the life of a genetically distinct, growing human being. We oppose abortion at any point of gestation. In rare cases, a mother may have a life threatening condition in which medical procedures intended to treat the condition of the mother may result in the unintended death of her preborn baby. At the same time, ORTL recognizes that modern medical practice has and will continue to increase the ability to save both the life of the mother and the baby.
