Salem, OR–Oregon Right to Life has been fighting a sinister bill, SB 494, in the Senate since the beginning of session. This bill, which passed the Senate 17-13, would have given the power to health care representatives to starve and dehydrate people with mental illnesses including dementia.
After passing the Senate, SB 494 was assigned to the House Judiciary committee. However, the Judiciary committee closed June 2, effectively killing the bill for this session.
“We are so thankful to our pro-life Oregon senators who stood so strongly against SB 494 and gave momentum to the opposition, which our pro-life House representatives then use to help send SB 494 to a dead end,” said Gayle Atteberry, ORTL executive director. “Had this bill become law it would have been used to end the lives of innocent Oregonians who are not in the active dying stage but are afflicted with mental illness. Thousands of Oregonians wrote to their legislators expressing horror about this bill that exemplifies just how extreme Oregon’s politicians have become.”
For media inquiries, please contact Liberty Pike, ORTL communications director, at liberty@ortl.org or 971-645-6585.
