It's a stand-off at the Oregon Capitol over parental rights, in regards to notifying parents about abortion and transgender treatments and procedures. The Oregon Senate Republicans have continued their protest of the concerning legislation that the Majority Democrats are trying to push through the state legislature.

HB 2002 has already passed through the Majority Democrat House Chamber. Republicans condemned the bill, calling it radical and dangerous.

The bill would prohibit health insurance plans from denying or even limiting coverage of irreversible sex-changing procedures and treatments. Under this law, parents would also not have the right to know whether their child is receiving these treatments.

Under this law, insurers must cover cosmetic medical procedures for those identifying as a different gender, such as tracheal shaving, hair electrolysis and facial feminization surgery.

Another Oregon law that HB 2002 alters is the decriminalization of the concealing the birth of an infant.

The removal of this basic law would set a dangerous precedent for society, a suggestion that an infant's life is not worth investigating.

The Northwest Observer asked legislators why this should be decriminalized, but have yet to receive a response from any of the Democrat legislators.

Representative Brian Stout (Republican-HD31) spoke about the illegality of the proposed legislature, saying that : "The rights of a parent as guardians of our children are not only a responsibility but it is a right of law. The primary holding of supreme court case, Troxel V. Granville stated, “There is a fundamental right under the Fourteenth Amendment for a parent to oversee the care, custody, and control of a child”."

Stout stated that, "All throughout our nation’s history we have established the precedent that minors do not have the same rights as a legal adult. A minor has been defined by an age number. You must be 18 to get married on your own. You must be 18 to vote. Only 18 years of age or more counts to be able to serve our military and you even must be 18 to buy a scratch off lottery ticket. Let us not forget to mention you must be 21 to use or consume alcohol or marijuana legally. Are these laws established because we all know or tend to think that minors make poor decisions? Possibly and most certainly. We have all made mistakes in our early years and when we made those mistakes, we typically learn from them. Let us not forget who was there to help correct our mistakes and help us grow through the experience, our parents."

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Stout says that the rights of a parent as guardians of our children are not only a responsibility but it is a right of law.

Stout also pointed out that "HR5 just passed the US House. It is the Parents Bill of Rights Act and it clearly outline parents’ rights and requires schools to notify parents of intent to change a child’s gender or pronouns, as well as issues related to mental and physical health on medical exams. So, while the rest of the country is working to preserve parents’ constitutional rights, we convene here today over a bill that destroys them at every level."

He continued in statement, "The contents of this bill and the language within sends a clear message to all Oregonians – a message that we as parents no longer matter in life changing decisions of our own children. Let me say it again another way. If this bill passes, we as parents are being told that we have no business being involved in or even knowing about the health and physical care of our children. Parents tend to know their own children best - not the government as a collective body, not a counselor, not a teacher, not a medical worker. Let us as parents not be blind as to the true intent of this bill before us. If there was ever a time to look up from your screens and listen to the truth and facts of what is in this bill, it is now. I stand here today with every parent in preserving their legal rights. I stand here today in opposition and defense of the most valuable and vulnerable, our children.

HB 2002 is currently scheduled for a reading on the Senate Floor, where the Republicans are protesting the extremist agenda, and they have refused to grant the Democrats quorum on the Senate floor.

The Republicans Senators are now putting their political careers on the line, as it is now punishable under Oregon law for the legislators to be absent from the legislative session for more than 10 unexcused days. Some observers have criticized this strategy, as the Democrats have employed the walkout technique themselves in years past, and this limits the ability of a minority caucus to negotiate legislation.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2023-05-14 10:37:52

Last Update: 2023-05-15 09:07:31