Legislatures In Colorado, Mississippi, South Dakota, Utah Take Actions On Abortion-Related Legislation

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

• Colorado: The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday voted 4-3 to reject a bill (SB 143) that would have banned all abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of a pregnant woman, the Denver Post reports (Clausing, Denver Post, 2/13). The bill would have made performing an abortion a class three felony (Boyle, Greeley Tribune, 2/13). All four Democrats on the committee voted against the measure, while all three Republicans voted for it (Slevin, AP/Denver Rocky Mountain News, 2/13). In related news, the House Health and Human Services Committee on Monday unanimously approved a bill (SB 60) that would require hospitals in the state to inform rape survivors about the availability of emergency contraception, which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse (Denver Post, 2/13).
  
  
• Mississippi: The Senate last week voted 34-5 to approve a bill (SB 2795) that would ban abortion in the state except in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman, the Columbus Commercial Dispatch reports. Under the legislation, anyone who provides an illegal abortion could be fined up to $5,000 and face one year in jail. The measure heads to the House Public Health and Human Services Committee. Rep. Steve Holland (D), who chairs the committee, said he will not take up the legislation. The Senate last week also voted 51-0 to pass a bill (SB 2801) that would require doctors in the state to give women seeking abortion a chance to listen to the fetus' heartbeat and view a sonogram. It also voted 51-0 to pass a bill (SB 2391) that would require minors seeking abortions who do not have parental consent to obtain a court's permission before undergoing the procedure. Holland said, "I have no intention of taking up any pro-life bills this year" (Coffey, Columbus Commercial Dispatch, 2/8).
  
  
• South Dakota: A House committee on Monday voted 10-3 to approve a bill (HB 1293) that would ban all abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of a pregnant woman, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports (Myers, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2/13). 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 or 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 (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/5). The bill passed the committee after Rep. Thomas Deadrick (R) introduced an amendment that would send the measure to a vote during the state's next general election, according to the Argus Leader (Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2/13).
  
  
• Utah: The House recently voted 51-23 to substitute a bill (HB 235) that would have banned abortions in the state except in the cases of rape or incest or to protect the health of the woman with a bill (HB 235 second substitute) that would outlaw abortions if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the AP/ABC4.com reports. Roe is the 1973 Supreme Court case that effectively barred state abortion bans. The House voted 62-12 to pass the substitute bill, which now goes to the Senate. The state's attorney general office estimated that it would have cost $2 million to defend the previous bill with in-house counsel, or $4 million with outside counsel, if it were challenged (AP/ABC4.com, 2/12).

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