New Abortion bills deserve careful consideration.

Byline: Gayle Atteberry For The Register-Guard

The Register Guard's Feb. 22 editorial disparaging the Oregon Legislature for conducting hearings on abortion bills rather than concentrating solely on the budget and the Public Employees Retirement System ignores what the editors should know of the legislative process. The Legislature is, and always has been, designed to deal with more than one issue at a time. Thus, while the budget committee deals with the budget, concurrent committees are dealing with transportation issues, natural resource issues, crime and legal issues, etc.

The Rules Committee just concluded hearing a series of bills that would put some limits on Oregon's abortion-on-demand policy.

Pro-life legislators are forwarding reasonable bills that are supported by the majority of Oregonians. Experts in law and medicine testified why these bills are beneficial, while personal testimonies revealed the real-life pain that abortion on demand brings to many Oregon women.

Among those testifying was a 17-year-old who obtained an abortion at age 15. She detailed her experience, which included inadequate information and impersonal care, described best as "abortion by the numbers." After experiencing the worst horror of her life, this 17-year-old is now an outspoken proponent of parental notification requirements.

Testimony from other post-abortive women told of clinic personnel who "sold" them on abortion and promised them a "quick, easy" abortion. Instead, they entered into a lifetime of grief, regret and sorrow.

Oregonians will recognize most of these bills, upheld by state and federal courts, as common-sense laws whose effectiveness has been documented.

House Bill 2547 requires a doctor to inform a woman about the risks of abortion and pregnancy and offer information on fetal development 24 hours before her abortion. This regulation was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court more than 10 years ago. As recently as last week, the court upheld Indiana's informed consent law.

House Bill 2563 requires free-standing abortion clinics to comply with state regulations that govern medical clinics. As Oregon law currently stands, pet owners take their pets to veterinary clinics that abide by more safety and sanitation regulations than do clinics which do abortions on young women. This regulation, too, has been upheld by the Supreme Court.

House Bill 2552 requires one parent of a minor girl to be notified if she seeks an abortion. As in parental involvement laws across the nation, there is a bypass mechanism for girls in abusive situations. The Supreme Court, in upholding parental involvement laws, has stated that they are beneficial for children and parents.

None of these bills prevents women from having an abortion. They will, however, ensure that women have all the information they need to make a truly informed choice, rather than a hasty, ill-informed decision that they may regret for the rest of their lives.

Gayle Atteberry of Eugene is executive director of Oregon Right to Life.