Conservative, Liberal States Are Pulling Further And Further Apart As Legislatures Pass Abortion Restrictions, Protections
Missouri is poised to pass an 8-week ban on abortions, following Alabama and Georgia's recent moves to restrict the procedure. Looks at how the issue is playing across the country reveal deep divides between the states as they charge in different directions.
The Washington Post:
The Widening Gap In Abortion Laws In This Country
Many other states have created new laws this year to limit abortion or even try to ban it altogether in the hope that the Supreme Court with President Trump’s two appointees will be more likely to approve them. Most of the new restrictions are in the South and Midwest. In contrast, New York removed old restrictions and affirmed access to abortion. Vermont approved the first step to amend its constitution to protect abortion rights. (Keating, Tierney, Meko and Rindler, 5/15)
KCUR:
How Missouri's Senate Passed A Restrictive Abortion Bill Overnight
Abortion opponents in Missouri have cleared the biggest hurdle to restrict access to most abortions — Senate approval. A bill passed in the Senate early Thursday morning bans abortion as early as eight weeks into a pregnancy. But the bill also saw some last-minute changes, under threat of a filibuster. Wednesday morning, the Senate commenced debate on a bill that would ban abortions after as little as six weeks into a pregnancy - the first version of the bill, which passed the house, would ban abortion once a heartbeat was detected. Nick Schroer, a Republican representative from O'Fallon is the bill’s sponsor. (Okeson-Haberman, 5/16)
Reuters:
Missouri Senate Passes Bill To Ban Abortions After Eight Weeks
Missouri's Senate passed a bill on Thursday to ban abortions eight weeks after conception, except for medical emergencies, the latest attempt in a Republican-controlled state legislature to restrict the rights of women to terminate their pregnancies. The vote came a day after Alabama's governor signed into law the country's most restrictive abortion bill, outlawing nearly all abortions, absent a medical emergency. (5/16)
Kansas City Star:
Near-Total Abortion Ban In Missouri Headed For Final Passage
The Missouri House is expected Friday to pass and send to Gov. Mike Parson the sweeping anti-abortion bill that would ban procedure after eight weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Parson has said he will sign the measure, the latest in a series of near-total bans on abortion recently passed by Republican-controlled state legislatures. (Thomas, Hancock and Vockrodt, 5/16)
The Associated Press:
Missouri House Expected To Pass Abortion Ban At 8 Weeks
Missouri's Republican-led House is expected to pass a sweeping bill to ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy on lawmakers' final day in session Friday, joining Alabama and several other states that have moved recently to severely restrict the procedure. If enacted, the ban would be among the most restrictive in the U.S. It would include exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. Doctors would face five to 15 years in prison for violating the eight-week cutoff. Women who receive abortions wouldn't be prosecuted. (5/17)
WBUR:
As States Pass Abortion Restrictions, Here's What You Need To Know In Mass.
Several Republican-controlled states, including Alabama, have in recent days moved ahead with sweeping abortion restrictions — steps likely to face legal challenges that could prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that created a national right for women to seek an abortion. (Harrison, 5/16)
Boston Globe:
In Rhode Island, Vote On Abortion-Rights Bill Reveals A Complicated State
The marble halls of the State House rang with chants of “Praise the Lord!” and “Shame! Shame!” Abortion-rights advocates lined a hallway dressed in “Handmaid’s Tale” costumes. And antiabortion activists thronged the rotunda, celebrating a legislative victory. That scene might not be surprising in deep-red Alabama, where the governor signed a near-total abortion ban on Wednesday. But it took place in deep-blue Rhode Island, where a state Senate committee on Tuesday rejected a bill to codify the right to an abortion in state law. (Fitzpatrick, McGowan and Milkovits, 5/15)
Texas Tribune:
Texas "Born Alive" Abortion Bill Likely Headed To Greg Abbott’s Desk
The Texas Senate approved a bill Thursday that would impose criminal penalties on doctors who fail to treat babies born alive after failed abortion attempts — extremely rare cases — a month after the House approved the same measure. If the House concurs with the Senate's minor changes to House Bill 16, it will then head to the governor's desk. (Sundaram, 5/16)
Miami Herald:
CO Secretary Of State Bans Staff Travel To AL Over Abortion Law
Colorado’s top elections official is restricting staff in her department from traveling to Alabama after the state passed what she called an “egregious law” that restricts abortion. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the legislation into law Wednesday night, saying in a statement that the new law “stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.” (Gilmour, 5/16)
The CT Mirror:
House Backs Ban On Deceptive Practices At Faith-Based Pregnancy Centers
As a constellation of states pass laws to restrict or ban nearly all abortions, Connecticut lawmakers took aim Thursday at faith-based centers that deceive women seeking medical assistance for a pregnancy. The state House voted to advance a measure that prohibits deceptive advertising practices by the so-called crisis pregnancy centers. Critics say staff at the facilities sometimes pose as medical professionals to lure women and hand out misleading information about abortions. (Carlesso, 5/16)
