Actions Taken On Abortion-Related Legislation In South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

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

• South Dakota: A group of 25 legislators last week introduced a bill (HB 1293) that would ban all abortions except in cases of rape and incest and to save the life of a pregnant woman, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The bill would allow rape survivors to undergo abortions if they report the rape to authorities within 50 days. Physicians would be required to confirm the report with authorities, as well as to take blood from aborted fetuses and give that information to police for DNA testing. For incest survivors, a doctor would be required to obtain the woman's consent to report the crime along with the identity of the alleged perpetrator before an abortion could be performed. Blood samples from fetuses also would have to be provided to police. Abortions could be performed until the 17th week of pregnancy in cases of incest and rape. The bill carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for performing illegal abortions. The measure also would allow a pregnant woman to undergo an abortion if her health could be seriously damaged by carrying the pregnancy to term. Under the bill, a doctor from another practice must agree that the woman's health is in jeopardy before the abortion could be performed (Kafka, AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1/31). In related news, the House Health Committee last week voted 9-3 to approve a bill (HB 1296), sponsored by Rep. Roger Hunt (R), that would require a doctor to offer a pregnant woman seeking an abortion the opportunity to view a sonogram of the fetus, AP/KELOLAND.com reports. If the woman declines to view the sonogram, she must sign a form documenting her refusal, according to the bill (AP/KELOLAND.com, 2/2).
  
  NPR's "Day to Day" last week reported on the abortion ban. The segment includes comments from state Rep. Brock Greenfield (R), who opposes the bill. The segment is available online (Brand, "Day to Day," NPR, 1/31).
  
  
• Utah: The House Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday voted 6-2 to approve a bill (HB 235) that would ban abortions in the state except in cases of rape, incest or to protect the health of the woman, the AP/Denver Post reports (AP/Denver Post, 2/1). The bill, sponsored by Rep. Paul Ray (R), allows exceptions to prevent a woman's death or "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function," the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The committee did not hear public comment on the new bill and sent it to the House floor for debate, according to the Tribune (Walsh, Salt Lake Tribune, 2/1). Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said the bill would cost at least $1 million to defend if it became law. Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble (R) said the ban likely will be passed by the Republican-led Legislature, adding that lawmakers would set aside money to defend the state in court (AP/Denver Post, 2/1).
  
  
• Wyoming: The House on Wednesday vote 32-28 to reject a bill (HB 144) that would have required pregnant women seeking an abortion to wait 24 hours and receive counseling before undergoing the procedure, the AP/Jackson Hole Star Tribune reports (Neary, AP/Jackson Hole Star Tribune, 2/1). The bill also would have required abortion providers in the state to tell women seeking an abortion about alternatives to the procedure and to inform women about the potential risks and side effects of abortion, including "increased risks of breast cancer." The legislation, called the "Woman's Right to Know Act," also would have required doctors to explain to a woman the anatomical characteristics of her fetus. The bill would have required the Wyoming Department of Health to supply abortion providers with printed materials about abortion to distribute to women seeking the procedure (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/17).

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