Colorado House Committee Rejects Bill Punishing Doctors for Performing Abortions on Women With 'Viable' Fetuses

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 01 Mar 2005 - 19:00 PDT

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The Colorado House Judiciary Committee on Thursday rejected 6-4 a bill... (HB 1260) that would have criminalized abortions performed on women pregnant with "viable" fetuses, the Denver Post reports (Cassutt, Denver Post, 2/25). Under the bill, which was sponsored by state Rep. Bill Crane (R), physicians providing such abortions could have been charged with a class 1 misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $10,000 fine (Scanlon, Denver Rocky Mountain News, 2/25). Although the bill did not specify the gestational age at which a fetus is deemed able to live outside the womb, it said that a fetal heartbeat, voluntary movement or breathing could classify a fetus as viable, according to the Post (Denver Post, 2/25).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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