Actions Taken On Abortion-Related Legislation In Alaska, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 25 Jan 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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The following highlights recent news of state actions on abortion-related legislation.

• Alaska: The House Judiciary Committee on Monday approved a measure (HB 301) that would ban so-called "partial-birth" abortion in the state, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The bill is cosponsored by Reps. John Coghill (R) and Wes Keller (R) (Quinn, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1/21). A 1997 state ban was permanently enjoined by the Alaska Superior Court in 1998. Coghill has said the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year to uphold a federal abortion ban (S 3) will allow Alaska to enact the bill he has introduced. The proposed law mirrors the language in the federal abortion ban (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/17). No one spoke out against the bill during a public comment period. A floor vote is planned for later in the legislative session. In related news, Rep. Mike Doogan (D) recently introduced a parental notification bill (HB 329) that would apply to girls seeking abortions who are younger than age 16 (AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1/21). The bill also seeks to repeal the current judicial bypass provisions (HB 329 text, 1/24).
  
  
• Michigan: The state Senate on Tuesday voted 24-13 to approve a bill (SB 776) that would ban so-called "partial-birth" abortions except in cases to save a woman's life, the Detroit News reports (Heinlein, Detroit News, 1/23). According to the AP/Mlive.com, the legislation "mirrors" the federal ban (S 3) that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last year (AP/Mlive.com, 1/22). The bill would charge physicians who violate the measure with a felony, which would be punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine (Detroit News, 1/23). Abortion-rights opponents say the measure is necessary to enable state and local authorities to prosecute physicians who perform the procedure. Abortion-rights supporters argue that the bill is unnecessary because the procedure is already banned under federal law. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Paul Condino (D), chair of the committee, said he will analyze the constitutionality of the bill and make recommendations to the House speaker (AP/Mlive.com, 1/22). Gov. Jennifer Granholm's (D) spokesperson Liz Boyd said the governor would need to read the bill before making a decision. According to the News, Granholm vetoed a similar measure nearly five years ago because it did not protect the life and health of pregnant women (Detroit News, 1/23).
  
  
• Virginia: The House of Delegates on Tuesday voted 60-37 to approve a bill (HB 894) that would require abortion clinics in the state to comply with the same licensing and regulations as outpatient surgery centers, the AP/WRIC TV reports. Delegates voted mostly along party lines, with Republicans backing the bill (AP/WRIC TV, 1/22). The measure, sponsored by Del. Matt Lohr (R), calls for state licensing of all abortion clinics that perform 25 or more first-trimester abortions during any 12-month period, the Harrisonburg Daily News reports. Exceptions could be made if a facility obtains a certificate of public need. The Board of Health also could waive certain structural requirements. The bill now moves to the Senate Education and Health Committee, which defeated the bill in previous years. Lohr in a statement said the bill is a "common-sense approach that requires abortion clinics to follow the same guidelines as other ambulatory surgery centers." Abortion-rights supporters say the bill is intended to make it more difficult or impossible to obtain an abortion in the state because few clinics meet the requirements (Mellott, Harrisonburg Daily News, 1/23).
  
  
• West Virginia: Abortion-rights opponents in West Virginia are promoting a bill (SB 63) that would restrict Medicaid funding for abortions to cases in which the federal government requires it, the AP/Charleston Gazette reports. Federal law requires state Medicaid programs to cover abortions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 17 states, including West Virginia, provide additional funding for abortions. Melissa Adkins, executive director of West Virginians for Life, said the bill has a good chance of in passing the Legislature. Margaret Chapman, executive director of the abortion-rights group WV FREE, said such "restrictive measures aren't useful, and they're not getting at the goal of preventing unintended pregnancy." West Virginia during fiscal year 2007 spent about $228,000 on abortions, although the amount likely will increase because physicians have up to one year to bill Medicaid, according to Shannon Landrum, executive assistant to the state Medicaid commissioner (Breen, AP/Charleston Gazette, 1/23).
  

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