Last week, the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care held a record 5-hour public hearing on HB 2002. Opponents made a strong showing during the committee hearing and submitted 476 pieces of written testimony compared to 380 from proponents.

HB 2002 is a shocking collection of radical social policies targeting minors:

Representative Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Tangent) put out a statement saying, "the Legislature needs to decide who is an adult in the state of Oregon. In Oregon, children under the age of 18 cannot get a tattoo or pierce their ears or nose without parental consent, and going to a tanning bed is not allowed even if the parent says it is okay. This bill would allow a minor, at any age, to get an abortion without parental consent and allows minors to get "gender-affirming care" without parental consent. But in this session, bills have been introduced to:

• allow 16-year-olds to vote
• ban flavored tobacco to all ages because minors are unable to make informed health decisions
• raise the age to buy a hunting rifle to 21

Boshart Davis continues, "Regardless of where you stand on abortion, most Oregonians agree that our laws are too extreme. This bill makes our laws even more extreme by legalizing hiding whether a baby was born alive or dead. In addition, this bill would make it even easier for kids with gender dysphoria to make permanent, life-altering decisions about their bodies without parents' knowledge."

This bill would remove a parent’s role in their child’s life by:

• Eliminating any age of consent requirements for “reproductive health care”, including abortion, despite parental consent still being required for any necessary emergency care as a result.
• Requiring written permission from a child of any age in order for a parent to know what reproductive health services are provided by a health care provider.
• Authorizing a pharmacist to provide abortion pills without regard to the age of the person.
• Repeals the law against concealing the birth of an infant—paving the way to conceal the death of an infant.
• Allows a child to bypass parents for "gender affirming care."

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Here are a few of the highlights from the hearing:

Representative Lucetta Elmer gave a powerful testimony about how her birth mother chose life for her because the culture in the 1970s valued life, even if it was inconvenient.

Camille Kiefel from Milwaukie, Oregon, bravely told her story about her experience with "gender-affirming care." Her anxiety and trauma from when she was young led her to remove her breasts to escape that trauma. She now regrets that procedure and is speaking out against HB 2002. After sharing her visible pain, Chair Rob Nosse (D-Portland), thanked her and with a great deal of bias, dismissed the seriousness of her testimony and told her he doesn’t share her position on the bill.

Representative Lily Morgan asked the Oregon Department of Justice why we would want to repeal the crime of concealing the birth of an infant, and their response was shocking.

Work session is scheduled for March 27.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-03-27 16:17:41

Last Update: 2023-03-27 21:55:45