"Democrats in the Legislature want to ask Oregon voters to write the right to abortion, same-sex marriage and gender-affirming care into the state’s Constitution.

Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton, introduced a joint resolution in the state Senate Wednesday to refer to voters a proposed constitutional amendment. The legislative referral would appear on ballots in November 2024.

The amendment would also repeal language that’s been in Oregon’s Constitution since 2004 defining marriage as being between one man and one woman (Article XV, Section 5a).

That policy hasn’t been in effect since a federal judge in 2014 ruled it unconstitutional — a decision upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015, which required states to recognize same-sex marriages."“Democrats have come back with an attempt to
seek retroactive approval of their extreme agenda. SJR 33 is a continuation of the Democrats’ extreme assault on parental rights. With this legislation, the Democrats now want to give 10-year-old girls a constitutional right to abortion without
parental knowledge,” said Senate minority leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, in a written statement.

"Republicans in the legislature were blindsided by the proposed constitutional amendment.

They suggested that the constitutional protections it affords would go further than its advocates have said. For example, they see it as providing a constitutional guarantee that minors can access abortion without parental knowledge.

Oregon law allows minors aged 15 and older to provide consent to medical procedures, including abortions. A reproductive health care bill being considered in this legislative session would eliminate that age requirement for abortions.

That bill passed out of committee last week over Republican objections.

The proposed constitutional amendment does not explicitly address issues of parental consent or the rights of minors."

https://www.opb.org/article/2023/04/19/oregon-constitutional-amendment-proposal-abortion-gender-affirming-care-marriage-election-2024/

TB

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