States Move To Cripple Abortion Access
In Florida, a near-total 15-week abortion ban is closer to being passed. In Oklahoma, a House committee approved plans for a Texas-style abortion ban. In West Virginia, the Senate passed a bill banning abortions based on detection of a fetal disability. South Dakota moved toward restricting access to abortion pills. More abortion news comes from Ohio, Nevada and Kentucky.
AP:
Florida GOP's 15-Week Abortion Ban Nears Final Passage
Republicans in the Florida Senate on Wednesday advanced a proposal to ban abortions after 15 weeks, rejecting Democratic attempts to soften its restrictions and add exceptions for rape, incest or trafficking. The bill, which has already been approved by the GOP-controlled House, is now set for a final vote in the Senate after Republicans dismissed a slew of amendments from Democrats. (Izaguirre, 3/3)
AP:
Oklahoma Panel Passes Texas-Style Anti-Abortion Measure
A House committee in Oklahoma on Wednesday approved an abortion ban that would implement an enforcement mechanism similar to a new Texas law considered to be the nation’s most restrictive abortion law in decades. The House Public Health Committee passed the measure by a party-line vote and sent it to the full House, where it’s likely to pass. (3/2)
AP:
WVa Senate Passes Bill To Ban Abortions Based On Disability
The West Virginia Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would ban abortions based solely on a prenatal diagnosis of a disability, including Down syndrome. The bill, approved on a 28-5 vote, makes exceptions for medical emergencies or if a fetus would not survive outside of the womb. It now goes to the House of Delegates. (Raby, 3/3)
AP:
South Dakota Lawmakers Pass Restrictive Abortion Pill Laws
The South Dakota Legislature on Wednesday passed a proposal from Gov. Kristi Noem that aims to make the state one of the hardest places in the U.S. to get abortion pills, though it won’t actually be enacted unless the state prevails in a federal court battle. Every Senate Republican voted to pass the bill, sending it to Noem’s desk on a 32-2 vote. However, the bill contains language that stipulates most of it won’t take effect unless the state convinces a federal judge to lift a preliminary injunction against a similar rule Noem attempted to enact last year. (Groves, 3/2)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Ohio Abortion: Judge Blocks Early Enforcement Of Hurdles For Clinics
A Hamilton County judge blocked the Ohio Department of Health from revoking credentials that allow Southwest Ohio's two abortion clinics to operate. Without an approved exception to state law, Mount Auburn's Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio and Dayton's Women's Med cannot perform surgical abortions. The clinics are two of six that perform the procedure in Ohio and the only ones in Southwest Ohio. Ohio law requires abortion clinics to partner with local, private hospitals in case of emergencies. If a hospital won't agree, clinics can obtain an exception, called a variance, by partnering with several local doctors. (Balmert, 3/2)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Nevada Initiative Seeks Requirement For Parental Notification Of Abortion For Minors
A Nevada PAC launched an effort last month to build support for an initiative that would require doctors to notify parents when a minor plans to have an abortion. If Protect Our Girls, a PAC supported by Nevada Right to Life, receives the roughly 140,000 signatures it needs, the Legislature will have to consider amending state law to require parental notification of abortion for minors. If lawmakers reject the measure, the language will go directly to voters in 2024. (Apgar, 3/2)
And in abortion news from Kentucky —
Louisville Courier Journal:
Abortion Bill Clears Kentucky House After Hours Of Impassioned Debate
One lawmaker, Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville, tearfully described her two miscarriages and wondered whether House Bill 3, the omnibus abortion bill, would have required her to report them or seek professional disposal of the remains. Rep. Attica Scott, D-Louisville, predicted HB 3 would give "a new platform to anti-abortion extremists" who already regularly harass and intimidate abortion providers who would be required to be listed on a state website. And Rep. Joni Jenkins, D-Louisville and House minority leader, said the bill likely would have unintended consequences in further restricting abortions for women and girls who are sometimes in dire circumstances. (Yetter, 3/2)
Louisville Courier Journal:
Kentucky Lawmaker Invokes Holocaust, Jewish Women Sex Life In Speech
Kentucky Rep. Danny Bentley made comments about Jewish women and the Holocaust during a debate Wednesday over anti-abortion legislation, quickly drawing condemnation from several members of the Jewish community who raised serious concerns with what he said. Bentley, a Republican and pharmacist from Russell, later apologized for his comments Wednesday night, saying he "meant absolutely no harm." As state representatives debated an omnibus anti-abortion bill Wednesday afternoon, Bentley spoke about the medication abortions the legislation would restrict and invoked Jews and the Holocaust as he made claims about the origins of one such medication, which members of the Jewish community quickly denounced as both false and antisemitic. (Watkins and Sonka, 3/2)
