Once upon a time, I took for granted that Oregon law protected reproductive freedom. When Roe was overturned in June of 2022, giving states the ability to restrict abortion, I certainly worried. But not about Oregon.
In March of 2024, the fairy dust fell from my eyes. That’s when Cyrus Javadi co-sponsored Oregon Senate Bill 1536, along with his other Republican colleagues.
You’re likely unfamiliar with SB1536 because it quickly failed. And for now, that’s an enormous relief. But it’s worth noting exactly what Representative Javadi co-sponsored, even if it’s difficult to pin him down on what he actually believes.
SB1536 is designed to restrict access to abortion after a 15-week gestational period with exceptions due to an urgent health need, rape or incest.
(If you’re following the plight of women in anti-abortion states, you will know that “exceptions” allowing for pregnancy termination are at best dubious and at worst, lethal).
SB1536 also states that all abortions involving a health care provider must be reported to the Oregon Health Authority. In other words, should you be able to get an abortion after 15 weeks, your health care decision is on the record.
(It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to understand how such information might be used since it’s already happening: the punitive treatment of women seeking or having abortions).
At the recent Oct 9th Candidates Forum sponsored by the Tillamook branch of the American Association of University Women, Representative Javadi was asked if he supported a woman’s right to make her own reproductive healthcare decisions. He spoke with great compassion about young girls betrayed by the men they trusted; expressed horror that women in 12 states were facing criminal charges related to their pregnancies; and assured his audience that abortion was still legal in Oregon.
He also neglected to say that he co-sponsored SB 1536.
In a Facebook conversation that same evening, a constituent from Manzanita asked Representative Javadi a similar question. She wrote, “What’s your position on women’s reproductive rights?”
He answered that Oregon has a lot of work to do concerning women’s reproductive rights. “Too often,” he wrote, “the conversation focuses solely on access to abortion, without addressing why a woman may feel like she can’t have the child”.
Perplexed, his constituent pushed harder for clarification, writing that the bill he co-sponsored would indicate he did not support a woman’s right to choose. His response: “I did sponsor a bill limiting abortion. I didn’t realize that your definition of women’s reproductive rights is so narrowly defined”.
Cyrus Javadi defines women’s reproductive freedom as the right to have a child. What transparently evasive nonsense from such a very clever man.
The other day, I received an email from Representative Javadi responding to a piece I’d written in support of Andy Davis’s resoundingly clear support for reproductive freedom. I appreciated his comments, his corrections and his consistent championing of the needs of pregnant women before and after they give birth.
But let’s be clear. Cyrus Javadi only supports SOME pregnant women’s rights to make their own medical decisions. Planned Parenthood agrees, and lists him by name on its 2024 Abortion Ban Watch List.
If you’re looking for a State Representative who trusts ALL women, vote for Andy Davis. He is serious about reproductive rights and knows precisely how to define them.