By Dave Andrusko
In Part One today, we’re running a statement from National Right to Life, which focuses on the success pro-lifers have—and will continue to have—passing the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection” Act. Let me refer to that and blend in few other wonderful pro-life initiatives of the past 24 hours. Tomorrow we will add even more results in the context of stories that continue to crop up in major papers with such neutral-language headlines as “State Legislators Continue Battling Abortion Rights” (Wednesday’s USA Today).
Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter
First, as we wrote yesterday, by a 54-14 vote, the Idaho state House approved its Pain-Capable law. Already approved by the state Senate, the measure will become law, perhaps as early as today, when Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter affixes his signature. Moments after we posted yesterday, we learned the Oklahoma state Senate voted 38-8 to pass similar legislation. It will return to the House, where it was approved by a vote of 94-2, before moving on to the desk of pro-life Governor Mary Fallin perhaps as early as next week.
The statement talks about other similar bills. All are modeled after first-of-its-kind legislation enacted last year by the Nebraska legislature.
Arizona has been aggressive this year, passing among other important items, a law to ban abortions passed on the baby’s race or sex. And, according to the Associated Press, this Saturday in Phoenix, Gov. Jan Brewer will sign an abortion clinic regulation that “would newly apply current state requirements on personnel and facilities to clinics that perform medication abortions. They now apply only to clinics that provide surgical abortions.”
By “medication abortions,” they mean chemically-induced abortions—RU486.
In addition, according to the East Valley Tribune, the Senate approved legislation which would deny state tax deductions for donations made to charitable organizations which perform abortions or refer clients to abortion clinics. “On a 21-7 margin, Sen. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, one of the prime sponsors of the legislation said it simply reinforces existing laws which bar the use of state funds for abortions.”
The Delaware News Journal reports that legislation was introduced yesterday in the state House that would require parental consent for minors under 18. “House Bill 80 comes as abortion opponents are stepping up pressure on the General Assembly to regulate the practice following the gruesome details of a doctor accused in a Pennsylvania indictment of killing seven babies born alive after botched late-term abortions,” writes Chad Livengood, a reference to Kermit Gosnell, who also faces a charge of third-degree murder in the 2009 death of a 41-year-old woman.
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