The Oregon House is considering a bill that requires doctors to obtain parental notification prior to performing an abortion on a minor. I attended the House Judiciary Hearing on House Bill 2605.
This is a dangerous law. Studies show that the majority of teens already discuss abortion and alternatives with their parents. Teens who don’t discuss alternatives are usually from abusive homes or risk being kicked out of the house. HB2605 will not protect those teens.
HB2605, under sections 4 and 5, states that a woman may go to court to petition the parental notification law in a private and confidential court hearing. This is unconstitutional. Under ORS 192.420 “every person has a right to inspect any public record of a public body in this state.” It’s called transparency, we as citizens have a right to know what is going on in
our government.
Furthermore, the Oregon Constitution in Article III Section I establishes a separation of powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. This law infringes on the powers of the Judicial Branch by creating a secret court where no secret courts are allowed.
Under these circumstances, it is likely that teens would not seek court petitions, as there is no public to evaluate the hearing. The passage of HB2605 would leave us with a population of homeless pregnant teenage girls. Doctors are already required by law and a standard of ethics to notify authorities of abuse. The Oregon Department of Human Resources is against this bill. Please contact your legislators to make sure they are too: www.leg.state.or.us.
Sermin Yesilada
Senior