SALEM, Ore. — Pro-life lawmakers made their voices heard on Monday in strong opposition to House Bill 4088, a bill that would expand legal protections for abortion providers and those who assist others in getting abortions, further entrenching Oregon’s position as an abortion tourism destination.
The bill’s carrier, Representative Lisa Fragala, argued on the House floor Monday that the bill is aimed at protecting both “patients and providers” in the context of providing and receiving “legal, evidence-based healthcare.” Opponents, however, argued that the measure would create obscurity rather than transparency and would prioritize and create unique protections for providers of dangerous and irreversible services to a degree that could put children and victims of abuse and trafficking at risk.
Representative Bobby Levy told lawmakers that HB 4088 is “not about responding to egregious issues,” arguing “privacy and oversight must coexist” and urging lawmakers to“protect the vulnerable and uphold the rule of law.”
“At the end of the day, House Bill 4088 creates sweeping legal protections so broad, so insulated from oversight that it can cause more problems than it claims to solve,” Rep. Levy said. “And this is not just a minor adjustment to privacy law. This is a structural change to how healthcare oversight functions in this state. I stand here as someone who is unapologetically pro-life. I believe that life has inherent value and dignity from the very beginning. I also believe God doesn’t make mistakes, but I know humans make them daily. I also think children deserve protection, especially when it comes to permanent, life-altering medical decisions.”
Representative Alek Skarlatos told the House that Oregon already has “some of the most permissive laws in the world about abortion and gender services… all that’s left is removing transparency, oversight, and accountability.”
“I urge us to rethink the actual effects of this bill,” Rep. Skarlatos said. ”We should vote to protect victims [and] kids, and oppose House Bill 4088.”
Representative Shelly Boshart Davis highlighted the bill’s harmful impact of removing parents from involvement in life-changing and irreversible medical decisions made by their minor children who may travel to Oregon to receive abortion or gender-related procedures.
“Parents have both the legal right and the responsibility to protect their own children. House Bill 4088 cuts them off at the knees, especially across state lines,” Rep. Boshart Davis said. “This blocks parents from accessing their kids’ medical records, or stepping in to stop harm. It even shields adults who help minors sneak into Oregon for these procedures without parental approval. In the end, the bill hands control over these life-changing decisions to the state and to providers, instead of to families who know their kids best.”
In his remarks, Representative Virgle Osborne emphasized that lawmakers should be prioritizing some of the many pressing matters currently facing Oregonians, rather than continuing to shield providers of controversial abortion and gender procedures.
“Quit harming our children, get our economy back on track, and pay attention to the doggone things that matter,” Rep. Osborne told House members. “We’re so sidetracked right now on stuff that’s not doing this state any good.”
Representative Court Boice encouraged the House to vote against HB 4088 for the protection of Oregon’s children, noting that “our kids are our greatest resource. They’re our greatest responsibility.”
Pro-life Oregonians were present at the Capitol during the bill reading and vote wearing stickers provided by Oregon Right to Life that said “Protect Victims Protect Kids Oppose HB 4088.”
As written, HB 4088 would expand protected interstate actions under Oregon’s existing 2023 shield law (HB 2002) to include “any person who provides or attempts to provide aid, assistance, resources, encouragement or support to a person in providing or receiving or attempting to provide or receive reproductive health care or gender-affirming treatment.” The bill would bar state agencies from cooperating with law enforcement of the federal government or other states “in relation to an investigation or inquiry into a legally-protected reproductive or gender-affirming health care activity, if such activity would be lawful if it occurred entirely in this state.” Such legally protected procedures include abortions and gender-related treatments for minors without parental notification or consent. Oregon Right to Life strongly opposes HB 4088.
Following floor debate on Monday afternoon, a vote was held to determine whether to advance House Bill 4088. 34 representatives voted in favor, and 22 voted against. The bill was carried.
