Oregon Right to Life has never fought so hard at the state capitol as it has since January in working to stop SB494, the bill touted to be a “simple update” on Oregon’s advance directive, but in reality, it would allow the starving and dehydration of mentally incapacitated patients. We have spared no expense, cut no corners, and overturned every stone in order to try to stop this bill. State agencies and powerful insurance companies, along with the right-to die movement, have been working together for three years to craft this deceiving, deadly bill. They have all been part of Democrat Senator Floyd Prozanski’s (D-Eugene)“work group.” Last year, when we heard about the group, we ask to be included and were refused. Prozanski has been working overtime with his Democrat compatriots to pass this bill.
Oregon Right to Life has alerted pro-lifers throughout the state and nation who have stepped up to the plate with outrage over the bill. They have given generously to support the lobby team, called and written their senator, and testified at hearings. Uncountable numbers of prayers have been offered up.
Personally, I have been consumed with zeal to fight this bill, and will not stop fighting until the last moment of this year’s session. The same can be said of the others on our lobby team.
Why have we, and so many Oregonians, given so much to stop this bill? Because it opens a door to a whole new classification of people who can be legally killed. Abortion has legally killed the innocent unborn since 1973. Assisted suicide, legal in Oregon and some other states, has killed adults who have wanted help in killing themselves. SB494, now opens the doors to killing conscious, non-dying adults, incapacitated because of mental illness, who have not asked to be killed. The clear motive for the killing is money. A first grader can do the math as to how much money it saves to kill a person rather than allow him to live.
This battle for the lives of innocent, conscious although incompetent patients, has a happy ending. After arriving in the House, because of excellent work of the pro-life House members, on June 16th SB494 was referred to the House Judiciary Committee. The committee was then closed for the 2017 session, thus killing SB494.
The death of this bill, instead of the death of patients, is a tremendous victory! It could not have been accomplished without the God’s great power using all the good people who stood up against this horrendous bill: thousands of pro-lifers across the state who wrote and emailed their senators, the pro-life senators who worked so hard against it, and the pro-life representatives in the House who used their influence to stop the bill. The battle is over for this session and lives have been spared! A huge thank you to each who joined in the fight!
