Alabama Passes a Bill to Regulate Abortion Clinics Like Sex Offenders. A clinic in Montgomery, AlabamaBrynn Anderson/AP Alabama lawmakers passed two bills in the waning hours of their legislative session on Wednesday that could close two of the state's five abortion clinics and make it harder for women to receive abortions in their second trimester. One of the bills prohibits abortion clinics from operating within 2,000 feet of an elementary or middle school—the same restriction that applies to sex offenders.
If Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley signs the bill, it may force two of the state's five abortion clinics to close, including a clinic in Huntsville that is the only one providing abortion care in the northern half of Alabama. The clinic just moved to its current location, across the street from a school, in 2014, in order to comply with other abortion restrictions passed in Alabama in 2013. The sponsor of the bill, Alabama state Sen. Paul Sanford, likened the restrictions to those imposed on sex offenders. Supreme Court to hear major abortion case. The Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider the constitutionality of a Texas abortion law that has already shut down more than half of the state’s abortion clinics, setting up what could be the biggest abortion decision in two decades in the middle of a presidential election campaign.
The timing of the decision, likely next June, is expected to drive voter turnout, galvanizing those on both sides of the abortion debate to turn out for a presidential candidate who shares their views on one of the nation's most polarizing social issues. Oral arguments are expected in early March. Story Continued Below The case, Whole Woman’s Health v.
Cole, is expected to turn on whether the Texas law — which imposes sweeping construction requirements on abortion clinics and requires providers to have hospital admitting privileges — is "an undue burden" on women’s access to the procedure. “For more than four decades, the Supreme Court has agreed that the U.S. Mallory Quigley, a spokeswoman for the Susan B. House GOP Abruptly Pulls Abortion Bill After Women Rebel Over Rape Clause. Instead the GOP decided to hold a vote on a measure seeking to outlaw taxpayer funding for abortion on Thursday, the day of the annual March For Life, a massive anti-abortion rally in Washington. The original legislation would have banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, a move polls say Americans support. The language that caused the chaos required women to report a sexual assault to the authorities in order to seek medical treatment to terminate a pregnancy.
Anti-abortion bills have typically been routine messaging vehicles for the GOP to lay down a marker. House Republicans different versions in 2011 and 2013, enjoying strong praise from the pro-life community each time. The bills never became law, facing veto threats from President Barack Obama. The most vocal objector to the 20-week abortion bill was Rep. Privately, less ideological Republicans worried that an anti-abortion bill was the wrong bill to take up shortly after winning full control of Congress. National Democratic Party Chair Supports Late-Term Abortions: No Limits "Period. End of Story" The head of the Democratic Party made it clear today. There should be no limits on abortion, period — and that includes no limits on abortions up tot the day of birth apparently. Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz responded to a challenge from Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul today to answer the question of whether or not she would support aborting a 7-pound unborn baby.
“Here’s the deal—we always seen to have the debate waaaaay over here on what are the exact details of exemptions, or when it starts,” said Paul, waving his hands to the left. “Why don’t we ask the DNC: Is it okay to kill a seven-pound baby in the uterus? You go back and you ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz if she’s OK with killing a seven-pound baby that is not born yet. Wasserman Schultz responded, making it clear she wants no limits from government on aborting babies up to birth: “Here’s an answer,” said Schultz.
A pro-life women’s group, the Susan B. Democrats Vow To Defend Abortion Rights On Roe v. Wade Anniversary. WASHINGTON -- Democrats in both chambers of Congress will introduce a resolution Thursday that asserts the "constitutionally protected right to safe, legal abortion services," the same day that House Republicans will vote to roll back abortion rights. The GOP-led House of Representatives plans to vote on a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy -- two to four weeks earlier than doctors say the fetus would be viable outside the womb. Republican leadership skipped the committee hearing process and scheduled the vote for Thursday, the 42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v.
Wade decision, which protects a woman's right to abortion until viability. Instead of just playing defense against Republicans' 20-week abortion ban, Democrats are responding with a pro-abortion rights resolution that highlights the stark contrast between the parties on reproductive rights. Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Reps. Carly Fiorina’s exaggerated claims about Americans’ views on Planned Parenthood and the 20-week abortion ban. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) “The vast majority of Americans agree, what Planned Parenthood is doing is wrong. That’s why the vast majority of Americans are prepared not only to defund Planned Parenthood, but also to stop abortion for any reason at all after five months.” — Former business executive Carly Fiorina, interview on Fox News Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015 It’s always interesting when a politician links a political stance with a large swath of American voters, evidently without citing any poll.
This is a timely topic that Congress has debated for months, and may come up again during the GOP and Democratic debates this week. The Facts ‘What Planned Parenthood is doing is wrong’ In the context of her answer, Fiorina appeared to refer to the group’s previous practice of taking reimbursement for fetal tissue donations, as revealed through the Center for Medical Progress’s videos. There is only one survey that addresses fetal tissue donations. The Pinocchio Test Three Pinocchios. Kansas cutting off Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood. By John Hanna | AP January 12 TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas will prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving any funds through its Medicaid program, Gov. Sam Brownback announced Tuesday evening in a State of the State address that encouraged state legislators to enshrine such a policy into law.
The Republican governor also spent part of his speech before a joint session of the GOP-dominated Legislature criticizing President Barack Obama, a Democrat, on national security issues. Brownback said the state is prepared “to thwart every action” by the Obama administration to move prisoners being held as terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Fort Leavenworth. In addition, Brownback told the GOP-dominated Legislature that he favors tightening limits on local property taxes approved last year and putting them in effect before 2018, as previously planned.
He urged lawmakers to design a new formula for funding the state’s public schools that includes bonuses for exceptional teachers.