Reproductive and gender-affirming care are seeing significant barriers being put up across the country. In Oregon, reproductive health care is a right but there are still barriers. In this current legislative session one bill is being brought up that could protect both gender-affirming care and reproductive health care in the state. The Oregon House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care will be holding a public hearing on House Bill 2002 on Monday, March 20, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. The public is able to testify and can register here. The hearing will also be available live and can be viewed here.
HB 2002 is the Reproductive Health and Access to Care Bill. The summary statement says that it will: modify provisions related to reproductive health rights, reproductive health care, and gender affirming care. It also modifies protections for providers of reproductive health care and gender affirming care. It makes interfering with a healthcare facility a crime punishable by a maximum of 364 days in prison, a $6,250 fine, or both. It also provides a path for people or providers who experienced interference to take action.
Oregon Right To Life’s Public Affairs Specialist Justin Hageman stated that HB 2002 “specifically targets minors for abortion” and that it removes any age limit on children having abortions and prohibits medical information from being shared with a child’s parents unless the child provides express written consent.
A story that is receiving new attention in light of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade describes parents abandoning an 11-year-old girl immediately after giving birth to her 17-year-old brother’s child. Police in Missouri stated that she gave birth in a bathtub and that her parents did not provide medical care once the baby was born, opting to leave the child at home and bring the baby to the hospital. This happened in Missouri where consent of the parents or guardians is required for a minor to receive abortion care. HB 2002 would allow minors to receive abortion care without having to consent or notify their parents or guardians.
The text of the bill states: “Every individual has a fundamental right to make decisions about the individual’s reproductive health, including the right to make decisions about the individual’s reproductive health care, to use or refuse contraception, to continue the individual’s pregnancy and give birth or to terminate the individual’s pregnancy.”
A coalition of groups — Planned Parenthood, Fair Shot for All, ACLU, Basic Rights Oregon, the Oregon Food Bank, and many others — released a statement in support of HB 2002. According to the statement, “Significant barriers to the full spectrum of reproductive care still exist in our state for many communities. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen states across the nation take steps to ban and restrict access to gender-affirming care, denying transgender and gender-expansive people life-saving medical care.”
Oregon is in a long legislative session, so the hearing of this bill is one of the earlier steps of it being introduced. The Torch will follow this bill throughout the process and provide updates.
