Position Statements

Oregon Right to Life has had long-standing opposition to the use of force, intimidation, and violence by any person pursuing pro-life activities. Our commitment to the well-being of all human life re9uires that we respect the inherent value and dignity of all people. Just as we condemn abortion and euthanasia, we oppose private acts that take human life, inflict bodily harm, or destroy another's property. No board member, officer, employee, or chapter officer may participate in any illegal or harmful act against another person or property in pursuing pro-life activity. Oregon Right to Life will not knowingly do business with any organization or business which endorses violence in any way toward pro-abortion persons or businesses.

Oregon Right to Life believes in the sanctity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death.

Abortion ends the life of a genetically distinct, growing human being. We oppose abortion at any point of gestation. In rare cases, a mother may have a life threatening condition in which medical procedures intended to treat the condition of the mother may result in the unintended death of her preborn baby. At the same time, ORTL recognizes that in most cases, modern medical practice has and will continue to increase the ability to save both the life of the mother and the baby.

Oregon Right to Life supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. We oppose all cases of euthanasia, whereby a person is deliberately killed through direct action or omission even if that act is by their permission.(ln contrast, a person who chooses to refuse life-prolonging treatment is not committing physician-assisted suicide but is rather allowing nature to take its course.)Examples of euthanasia include allowing disabled newborns to die of routinely treatable medical conditions, withholding food or water from the comatose or lethally injecting a terminally ill patient. In Oregon, the legal form of euthanasia is physician assisted suicide, and is euphemistically called "death with dignity." In this act, a physician prescribes lethal drugs knowing their patient intends to use the drugs to commit suicide.

Infanticide is the killing of an infant, usually because of a disability. Oregon Right to Life is opposed to the arbitrary termination of innocent life at any point from conception to natural death regardless of condition, health, or age.

Experimentation on human beings, born or preborn, must be with full and informed consent unless consent is impossible due to age or condition of the person involved. When informed consent is not possible, experimentation is acceptable only if it is for the intended benefit of the patient and the amount of pain and risk have been considered. All other human experimentation is une9uivocally condemned including the gathering of scientific data by the experimentation on a human being scheduled for death or in the process of being killed.

Oregon Right to Life takes no position on any birth control method which prohibits the sperm and egg from uniting. Once the sperm and egg have united, however, a new human life begins and ORTL opposes any drug, device, or procedure which destroys the new human life. ORTL supports the full disclosure of information by a physician to women considering contraceptives. ORTL supports the right of medical professionals to exercise their conscience in all medical care.

The natural process of human conception is the union of egg and sperm within the maternal body, which provides the safest and most supportive environment for the maturation of the newly created, fragile human being. Oregon Right to Life (ORTL) upholds the natural process of human conception. ORTL opposes all techni9ues of human conception occurring outside of the maternal body which leads to the destruction of human life, whether for family growth or experimentation.

Presently, this includes any method of assisted reproduction that employs in vitro fertilization.

Oregon Right to Life opposes human cloning for any purpose. Cloning is the creation of a new human being by the introduction of human DNA into an enucleated egg. Since embryonic development ensues from this artificial type of fertilization, a human life has begun. Therefore, destruction of the embryo for any of its cells (e.g. stem cells) violates his or her right to life. Because it is documented that cloning for reproductive purposes results in a high failure rate during which most cloned embryos die or are discarded, Oregon Right to Life also opposes cloning for reproductive purposes.

Oregon Right to Life affirms the inherent value of all human beings from the moment of fertilization to natural death. As such, ORTL asserts that all human lives started by any form of natural or assisted reproduction for cloning for any purpose, are to be protected from intentional harm.

Oregon Right to Life opposes both the destruction of human embryos created by any method and any research conducted with human embryonic stem cells. Research is unethical if it is predicated on the destruction of one human being for the gain of another.

Oregon Right to Life supports the current successful medical research and treatments with non­ embryonic stem cells (e.g. those from umbilical cord blood and adult tissues).

Oregon Right to Life does not take a position on the death penalty. The death penalty, when carried out by due process of law, is punishment for a capital crime which kills the person after being found guilty. Abortion is not a punishment, yet it kills an innocent person without due process of law.

Oregon Right to Life is dedicated to protecting innocent human life and remains neutral on capital punishment.