SALEM, Oregon — In a recent interview with podcaster David Medina, Oregon Representative Cyrus Javadi disavowed the pro-life convictions that previously won him the endorsement of Oregon Right to Life, stating that he supports a woman’s right to choose abortion and does not support a total abortion ban.
“In my faith, I was taught that [abortion] is a serious moral issue,” Rep. Javadi – who, over the weekend, changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat – said. He argued that supporting pro-life policies would amount to “impos[ing] my faith… on somebody else.”
“I think women should have the right to choose whether to terminate the pregnancy, or keep the child, or put the child up for adoption,” Javadi said in the interview.
“The pro-life movement right now is a full ban. That is where they’ve put their eggs in that basket and I don’t support a full ban on abortion,” Javadi said. Asked by Medina whether he would say he’s “no longer 100% pro-life,” Javadi said, “that’s correct.”
But the legislation promoted and advanced by Oregon Right to Life – and previously sponsored by Javadi – have sought pro-life protections supported by a majority of voters on both sides of the political spectrum:
- Born Alive Infant Protection Act — requiring medical care for infants who are born alive during an attempted abortion procedure.
- Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act — limiting abortions when babies can feel pain, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
Understanding the distinctive political landscape in Oregon, Oregon Right to Life has consistently sought common ground through good faith efforts, and has therefore not attempted to advance a total abortion ban in the legislature. Arguments made by Oregon Right to Life for the protection of the unborn have intentionally relied on scientific and ethical propositions that both secular individuals and people of faith can agree with, recognizing that one need not be religious to be pro-life.
“Javadi’s public remarks concerning the pro-life movement in Oregon are misleading and deeply offensive,” Oregon Right to Life Political Director Sharolyn Smith said. “We are committed to engaging in dialogue, education, and coalition-building, including with those who may not share the full scope of our pro-life convictions. Oregon Right to Life believes that all innocent human life deserves protection from fertilization until natural death. But we know that not everyone is there yet. Anyone who wants to see a change to the radical, no-limits agenda currently in effect in Oregon has a place in the pro-life movement.”
“Representative Cyrus Javadi sought the endorsement of our PAC and knows exactly what was asked of him while serving as a pro-life legislator. Yet he chose to use a public platform to suggest he must abandon the pro-life movement because he does not support an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach,” Smith said. “For him to hold the endorsement of Oregon Right to Life PAC and then portray the movement as uncompromising extremists – especially while his new party openly supports abortion-on-demand and refuses to allow life-affirming legislation to be heard in committee – is illogical. He knows better, and voters know better.”
Oregon Right to Life Executive Director Lois Anderson also weighed in on Javadi’s remarks.
“Representative Javadi has revealed his true colors, abandoning both his constituents and reality in a desperate attempt to reinvent himself politically,” she said. “Oregon Right to Life has worked long and hard to identify and advance pro-life policies that resonate with people across the political aisle. Our Born Alive and Pain Capable Acts have done that, and Javadi himself has stood on the House floor and sponsored them. It’s deeply disappointing to see him back away from his commitment to pro-life principles and the voters who trusted him when he won Oregon Right to Life’s endorsement.”
Oregon Right to Life has found common ground among Democrats and nonaffiliated voters who share a desire to protect innocent life and support women and families. However, the Democrat majority in the legislature has refused at every turn to back down from their radical pro-abortion agenda. Oregon Democrats have entrenched taxpayer-funded, no-limits abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, and they are working relentlessly to expand it further — stripping away safeguards, funneling more money into abortion, and fueling an alarming rise in late-term procedures. In fact, abortions after 23 weeks, a stage when the unborn baby can survive outside the womb and unquestionably feel pain, increased by 165% in 2023. That same year, the radical bill HB 2002 in its original form would have allowed abortion providers to perform abortions on minors of any age without parental consent or knowledge. At the time, Javadi stood with pro-life Republicans in voting against HB 2002.
Yet despite Democrats’ persistent efforts to expand and defend abortion at any stage of pregnancy, Javadi claimed that Democrats are the ones “willing to get to work” while accusing the pro-life movement of extremism.
“Cyrus Javadi has proven himself a politician without principle,” Smith said. “Voters who want a leader who will protect unborn life can’t trust him. And for voters who want a leader who defends abortion, his voting and sponsorship record for pro-life policies disqualify him. Oregonians, regardless of their position on the issue of abortion, deserve a leader who will speak honestly and stand firm on core values. Cyrus Javadi has shown he is not that person.”
Representative Cyrus Javadi, who has held the endorsement of Oregon Right to Life PAC, did not reach out to its leaders to notify them about his change in position. Oregon Right to Life political director called Javadi after seeing the interview in an effort to discuss the matter, but has yet to hear back.
