A new bill introduced in the Oregon House seeks to reinforce privacy protections for patients and medical providers at a time when health care policy remains sharply divided across state lines.
Rep. Lisa Fragala, a Democrat from Eugene, has filed House Bill 4088, titled the Strengthening Patient and Provider Privacy Act. The proposal is designed to shield individuals who seek or provide lawful reproductive and gender-affirming health care in Oregon from what supporters describe as increasing federal and out-of-state scrutiny.
The measure comes nearly four years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision that shifted primary authority over abortion laws back to individual states. Since then, a growing number of states have enacted stricter limits on abortion and gender-affirming care, while others, including Oregon, have moved to codify and expand access. The resulting patchwork of laws has created new legal and political tensions, particularly between neighboring states with differing policies.
Fragala said the legislation is intended to reinforce Oregon’s existing legal framework by limiting cooperation with investigations that target health care services that are lawful within the state. “Oregonians believe that personal decisions about healthcare and private information should be made by individuals and their healthcare providers — not by politicians and the government,” Fragala said in a statement announcing the bill. She described the proposal as a way to uphold Oregon’s approach to personal medical decision-making amid what she characterized as growing federal pressure and out-of-state interference.
House Bill 4088 would prohibit Oregon public agencies from assisting federal or out-of-state authorities in investigating or prosecuting individuals for receiving or providing health care services that are legal in Oregon. The measure would also bar the extradition of patients or providers who are not considered fugitives but are sought by other states for actions that are lawful under Oregon law.
In addition, the bill would restrict the Oregon Health Authority from disclosing individually identifiable information about patients seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care. It proposes expanding certain professional licensing protections to include midwives and strengthening privacy safeguards for providers and patients by protecting images, phone numbers, and other personal details connected to legally provided services. Another provision would treat simultaneous name and sex marker changes as confidential records, a step supporters say is aimed at enhancing personal safety.
Rep. Willy Chotzen, a Democrat from Portland, said the bill would make constituents “more likely to have their privacy respected” and less vulnerable to harassment for lawful medical decisions.
The legislation has drawn support from a broad coalition of medical, civil rights, labor, and advocacy organizations. Among those backing the measure are the Oregon Medical Association, the ACLU of Oregon, Planned Parenthood Action Oregon, Basic Rights Oregon, the Oregon Nurses Association, and the Oregon AFL-CIO, along with several community-based health and equity groups.
Supporters argue that the bill positions Oregon as part of a broader group of states strengthening in-state protections for providers and patients in response to shifting federal policy and cross-border enforcement efforts. Critics of similar measures in other states have contended that such laws could complicate interstate legal disputes and deepen national divisions over health care regulation.
House Bill 4088 will be assigned to a legislative committee for further review, where lawmakers are expected to debate its legal implications, scope, and potential fiscal impact. If approved by the Legislature and signed into law, the measure would further solidify Oregon’s role as a state committed to maintaining broad access to reproductive and gender-affirming health services while emphasizing privacy and noncooperation with out-of-state enforcement efforts.