Ariz. Senate Passes Abortion Ban Slightly Different From Bill Gov. Vetoed
June 23rd, 2008 | by admin |
The Arizona Senate on Monday voted 18-6 to pass a bill (SB 1048) that would ban so-called “partial-birth” abortion in the state, Capitol Media Services/Arizona Daily Star reports. Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) vetoed a similar but not identical bill (HB 2769) in April. Sen. Linda Gray (R) said state lawmakers addressed two provisions that Napolitano (D) highlighted in her veto letter.
Both bills would provide an exception to the ban when pregnant women’s lives are in jeopardy (Fischer, Capitol Media Services/Arizona Daily Star, 6/17). However, the vetoed bill differed from a federal law banning so-called “partial-birth” abortions because it included a harsher criminal penalty and lacked a provision allowing physicians to seek a state government hearing on whether the procedure was necessary to save a woman’s life, according to Napolitano’s letter (Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, 4/24). According to the AP/Arizona Daily Star, the new bill has the same criminal penalty and hearing provisions as the federal law.
The bill now heads to the House for final approval (AP/Arizona Daily Star, 6/16). Napolitano aides would not comment on whether the governor would sign the legislation into law. Napolitano in her first veto message said the two issues raised were not the sole reasons for rejecting the measure. According to Capitol Media Services/Daily Star, the governor wants more focus on family planning and prevention of sexual violence against women (Capitol Media Services/Arizona Daily Star, 6/17).
Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
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