Daily Women's Health Policy Report Summarizes Coverage Of State Reproductive Health Legislation

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 04 Feb 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Media sources recently reported on reproductive health-related bills introduced in Utah, South Dakota and North Dakota. Summaries appear below.

~ Utah: The House Health and Human Services Committee recently approved two bills that would impose new restrictions on accessing abortion in the state, the AP/ABC 4.com reports. The committee voted 6-1 to approve HB 90S1, which would make it a second-degree felony to perform an abortion after 20 weeks' gestation, except to preserve the life or physical health of the woman or in cases of a fatal fetal defect. The bill defines a threat to the woman's health as an "irreversible impairment of a major bodily function," which narrows the current definition, according to the AP/ABC 4.com. Opponents of the legislation have criticized the bill's unclear language, and an attorney with Utah's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has said it would be difficult to pass the bill if it is challenged in court as unconstitutional. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Paul Ray (R). The committee also passed HB 222, which would require physicians to give women the option of anesthetizing their fetuses before any in utero procedure, including abortion. Both bills now move to the House for debate (AP/ABC 4.com, 1/31).

~ South Dakota: Sen. Gordon Howie (R) introduced a bill (SB 92) that would require physicians to schedule consultations with women seeking abortions at least 24 hours before the procedure, the AP/KTIV.com reports. Physicians who do not follow the protocol could be charged with a Class I misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. AP/KTIV.com reports that the bill would require physicians to be available during the scheduled consultation time, even if a patient did not attend the appointment. According to Howie, "It's just a good idea for a doctor performing any serious medical procedure to talk with the patient some time before the procedure." However, state Sen. Scott Heidepriem (D) noted that voters defeated antiabortion-rights ballot initiatives in the past two elections, adding that the bill is a "distraction" to addressing economic issues. Planned Parenthood of Sioux Falls is the only clinic in the state that performs abortions. Spokesperson Nathan Peterson said that the group opposes the bill and that it is "inappropriate, particularly in a year of economic crisis with serious budget issues." A second reproductive health bill (SB 134) would require a majority of private health insurance companies to cover contraceptives to the same extent they cover other prescription drugs. The bill is supported by Campaign for Healthy Families, which led the campaign against the state's abortion ban on the ballot in the 2008 general election (Woster, AP/KTIV.com, 2/1).

~ North Dakota: The North Dakota House on Friday voted 77-9 to approve a bill (HB 1371) that would require physicians to offer a woman an ultrasound at least 24-hours before performing an abortion, the AP/KXMB.com reports. The law also would require clinics to track the number of women who choose the ultrasound and who refuse the procedure. The state has one abortion clinic, which already offers women the option of an ultrasound, according to AP/KXMB.com. The bill now heads to the state Senate (AP/KXMB.com, 1/30).

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