When news broke in June that the Oregon House Democrats had withdrawn support of Dr. Nathan Boddie for House District 54, I was reluctant to believe the accusations against him. I found them too vague to be credible.

And frankly, I did not want to believe them.

I had met Dr. Boddie on a few occasions at public events, and I was impressed by his passion for issues that are important to me.

This is especially true with regard to health care. As a fellow health care provider, I felt his policies would positively impact the health and wellness of my patients, and I looked forward to Dr. Boddie bringing his experience as a physician to policy discussions in Salem.

Then Moey Newbold stepped forward.

Her claim that Dr. Boddie had touched her inappropriately was credible. I knew then that his candidacy was likely doomed, but I hoped he might salvage it by making a sincere apology, and perhaps offering an explanation for his mistake.

Instead, he attacked Ms. Newbold, claiming she had a problem with substance use.

Having met Ms. Newbold, I doubt Dr. Boddie’s claim is true.

But even if it were, for a medical provider to publicly shame a person for substance abuse is unethical.

This action by Dr. Boddie alone disqualifies him from public office.

On top of this, Dr. Boddie had repeatedly claimed he never acted in a way that could be construed as sexist.

And yet, Paul Dewey of Central Oregon LandWatch had informed him years ago that he would not be allowed to join that organization’s board of directors because of his conduct with Ms. Newbold.

This is not something Dr. Boddie could have forgotten, and for him to have lied to his supporters was a profound breach of trust.

Dr. Boddie’s actions, particularly his own public statements, have made it impossible for him to win an election.

And yet, he refuses to end his candidacy.

Apparently he believes that to do so will be an admission of guilt, and so he will carry on to the bitter end, losing badly in November to prove a point only he understands.

Dr. Boddie’s defeat, to be sure, would not be the end of the world.

As a member of the Bend-La Pine school district budget committee, I have had the opportunity to work with Cheri Helt.

She is smart, serious and kind. I disagree with Ms. Helt on some issues, such as how best to fulfill our promise of a secure retirement for teachers, but we agree on many others.

I like her and know she will represent her district faithfully.

Still, as a proud progressive who cares deeply about expanding access to health care, protecting workers’ rights to organize for their pay and benefits and promoting economic opportunities for disadvantaged populations, I would like to see the Democratic Party nominate a viable candidate to challenge Ms. Helt.

This cannot happen unless Dr. Boddie formally ends his campaign and withdraws from the race.

It is time for Dr. Boddie to do the right thing.

For the sake of the values he claims to hold, for the local party that stood up for him against its own allies, for the city he has served as councilor, for the patients he provides care for and for the victims everywhere who are reluctant to share stories of their own abuse for fear of being shamed, Dr. Boddie must withdraw.

If he does not, he may lose forever any opportunity of restoring his reputation and regaining the trust of his community.

— Amy Tatom is a family nurse practitioner in Redmond. She lives in Bend.