Actions Taken On Women's Health Related Legislation In California, Colorado, Ohio

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Pregnancy / Obstetrics;  Abortion
Article Date: 27 Mar 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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The following highlights recent state news about women's health-related legislation.

• California: The Assembly Transportation Committee voted 13-1 on Monday to reject a bill (AB 1940) that would have allowed some pregnant women to use parking in spaces reserved for the disabled, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Under the bill, sponsored by Assembly member Chuck DeVore (R), women would be considered "temporarily disabled" from their third trimester of pregnancy until two months after delivering an infant. The bill would have required the state Department of Motor Vehicles to issue five-month disabled parking permits for the women. Several committee Republicans said the measure was unnecessary because current law allows a physician to request the DMV to issue a temporarily disabled parking permit to pregnant women experiencing problems that affect their mobility. DeVore said the male committee members "haven't a clue what their spouses went through" when walking long distances in parking lots in their final trimester or immediately after childbirth. DeVore's bill was similar to a measure that failed four years ago. That bill was criticized by disabled advocates, who said it would worsen the disabled parking shortage, and women's rights advocates, who disagreed with calling pregnancy a disability (Garcia, San Jose Mercury News, 3/25).
  
  
• Colorado: The Senate on Monday gave preliminary approval to a bill (SB 192) that would prohibit protesters, including those protesting abortion rights, from camping in front of private homes, the AP/Summit Daily News reports. The measure would require that protesters continuously walk in a 300-foot route and would prohibit protesters from carrying signs larger than six square feet. Antiabortion advocates have been protesting outside the homes of construction executives who have been building a Planned Parenthood clinic in Denver since last fall. Sen. Steve Ward (R), who is co-sponsoring the measure, said he did not introduce the bill in response to the antiabortion protesters, even though it would apply to them (AP/Summit Daily News, 3/24). The bill passed by voice vote after its second reading and faces another Senate vote before moving to the House, the Denver Post reports (Denver Post, 3/25).
  
  
• Ohio: Gov. Ted Strickland (D) on Friday signed into law a bill (HB 314) that will require physicians to offer a woman seeking an abortion the option of viewing an ultrasound image of her fetus before undergoing the procedure, the Associated Press reports (Associated Press, 3/24). If the woman decides to have an ultrasound, the physician would be required to show her the "active ultrasound image of the embryo or fetus," as well as provide the woman with a physical picture of the ultrasound image (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 12/14/07). The law will go into effect 90 days from Friday (Associated Press, 3/24).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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