Oregon legislation · 2025 Legislative Measures
Oregon SB666: Relating to abortion restrictions; prescribing an effective date.
Status: Introduced, June 27, 2025
Digest: The Act places limits and duties on health care providers who perform abortions. (Flesch Readability Score: 63.4). Prohibits an abortion unless a health care provider first determines the probable gestational age of the unborn child, except in the case of a medical emergency. Defines "abortion" and "health care provider." Prohibits the abortion of an unborn child with a probable gestational age of 15 or more weeks, except in the case of a medical emergency, rape or incest. Requires that an abortion of an unborn child with probable gestational age of 15 or more weeks be performed or induced in specified facilities and with specific safeguards in place. Allows specified persons to bring an action against a health care provider for violations. Requires a health care provider who performs or induces, or attempts to perform or induce, an abortion to file a report with the Oregon Health Authority. Requires the authority to publish annually statistics relating to abortion. Allows specified persons to bring a cause of action for actual and punitive damages and injunctive relief against a health care provider for violations. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.
What the bill says
A bill FOR AN ACT Relating to abortion restrictions; creating new provisions; amending ORS 435.210, 435.496, 677.190 and 678.111; and prescribing an effective date. Whereas medical and other authorities know more about human prenatal development now than ever before; and Whereas the assertion by some medical experts that an unborn child is incapable of experiencing pain until later than 24 weeks gestational age predominantly rests on the assumption that the ability to experience pain depends on the cerebral cortex and requires nerve connections between the thalamus and the cortex…
From the introduced text, January 10, 2025:
A BILL FOR AN ACT Relating to abortion restrictions; creating new provisions; amending ORS 435.210, 435.496, 677.190 and 678.111; and prescribing an effective date. Whereas medical and other authorities know more about human prenatal development now than ever before; and Whereas the assertion by some medical experts that an unborn child is incapable of experiencing pain until later than 24 weeks gestational age predominantly rests on the assumption that the ability to experience pain depends on the cerebral cortex and requires nerve connections between the thalamus and the cortex; and Whereas medical research and analysis since 2007 provides strong evidence for the conclusion that a functioning cortex is not necessary to experience pain; and Whereas substantial evidence indicates that children born missing the bulk of the cerebral cortex, such as those with hydraencephaly, nevertheless experience pain; and Whereas substantial evidence indicates that neural elements, such as the thalamus and subcortical plate, serve as pain processing centers for an unborn child and show signs of sufficient maturation beginning at 15 weeks gestational age; and Whereas in adult humans and in animals stimulation or ablation of the cerebral cortex does not alter pain perception, while stimulation or ablation of the thalamus does alter pain perception; and Whereas pain receptors begin forming at seven weeks gestational age, and nerve fibers linking pain receptors …