States Continue Attempts to Restrict Abortion

By Rachel Walden — March 17, 2011

Yesterday, NPR’s Morning Edition ran a story, States’ Abortion Legislation Questioned By Critics. It reviews some of the anti-choice proposals in states like South Dakota, where women choosing abortion would be required to visit a “crisis pregnancy center” prior to having the procedure.

They also report: “At least 20 states have passed laws that require doctors either to offer women ultrasounds or to perform one. Seven others are now considering bills that would mandate the ultrasound.”

I noticed a couple of additional proposals beyond those mentioned in the NPR piece, such as Idaho’s ban on abortions after 20 weeks, a move that hardly seems necessary. The recent 2007 CDC abortion surveillance data indicates a tiny number of Idaho abortions (only between 1 and 4 of them) took place after 20 weeks. Other bills in various states, however, may have a broader impact on women’s ability to access abortion procedures.

Meanwhile, I just stumbled across the 2011 model legislation from Americans United for Life. I’m not going to link to it, but it provides pre-written anti-choice legislation language ready for state legislators to insert the names of their states and file. I’m not aware of anything similar from the pro-choice, pro-reproductive justice camp, but we should have a tool like this. Anybody aware of one?

One response to “States Continue Attempts to Restrict Abortion”

  1. Thanks for making that known! I am not aware of such a tool for pro-choice. I would be willing to work with people on creating one though. I’ll check here for the next few days, to see if anyone posts back with interest!

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