Arizona House Approves Bill To Ban Abortion Procedure

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 26 Jan 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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The Arizona House Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday voted to approve a bill (HB 2400) that would ban a certain abortion procedure in the state, the Arizona Republic reports. According to the Republic, the bill would make the procedure -- called intact dilation and extraction -- illegal other than to prevent a woman's death or disability. It would establish a maximum two-year prison term for those found guilty of performing the procedure (Cooper, Arizona Republic, 1/22). The Arizona Daily Star reports that the bill includes a provision that allows a physician accused of performing the procedure to seek an opinion from a medical board that it was necessary. There were no votes against the bill from the six Republicans on the committee, and the three Democratic lawmakers on the committee were not present for the vote, according to the Daily Star.

A federal ban on such abortions was upheld by the Supreme Court, and the state bill is designed to mirror the federal law, the Daily Star reports. State Rep. Rick Murphy (R), a sponsor of the bill, said the legislation is "the ultimate health care bill for children." He added that the bill will be protected from legal challenges because of its similarities to the federal law. Ron Johnson, a lobbyist for Arizona's Catholic bishops, said the state needs its own law regarding the procedure because the federal law can be enforced only by federal prosecutors. A state law allows each of Arizona's 15 county attorneys to prosecute physicians and others who violate the law, he said (Fischer, Arizona Daily Star, 1/22).

Bryan Howard, chief executive of Planned Parenthood Arizona, said the meeting was the committee's first under new Republican leadership in both state chambers, as well as the start of Jan Brewer's (R) term as governor. He added, "If this is a signal about the weeks and months ahead, our children and families are going to suffer." According to the Republic, abortion-rights opponents and Republican lawmakers said they hope Brewer's rise to office will help anti-abortion legislation become law, unlike her predecessor Janet Napolitano (D), who was recently confirmed as President Obama's homeland security secretary. Napolitano vetoed similar bills twice in 2008 and vetoed six other pieces of legislation regarding abortion issues throughout her six years as governor, the Republic reports (Arizona Republic, 1/22). The bill now goes to the full House for consideration (Arizona Daily Star, 1/22).

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