This week’s state of the week is . . . a tie!
Women’s Health All Over the Place!
For the second week in a row, women’s health issues dominated state legislative news. So sorry all-I just couldn’t decide which state to highlight. Last week, I gave Virginia the title for the protests around a proposed pre-abortion sonogram bill. The bill-revised to not include transvaginal sonograms-passed the state Senate this week and will likely go into law. But while Virginia approved its version, Alabama and Pennsylvania both appear to be holding off on similar measures.
But lest you think it’s all peachy for reproductive rights advocates, let’s take a tour through some other states around the nation: Kansas is considering a measure that would allow doctors to withold information from pregnant women if it will prevent an abortion as well as force doctors to tell women abortion is linked to breast cancer, a claim rejected by several major medical organizations. The proposal also removes tax credits for non-profits that provide abortions. Meanwhile, the Georgia House has passed a particularly hardline version of a “fetal pain” bill. The measures generally outlaw abortions after 20 weeks, but this version goes further, preventing doctors from interfering with pregnancies after the 20 week mark. As one obstetrician has pointed out, the measure has terrifying health implications for women with complicated pregnancies. Then there’s Oklahoma, where the legislature is considering a so-called “personhood” measure, which would change the legal definition of a “person” to include fetuses. While the measure gets debated in the chambers, pro-life groups are also organizing to get the issue on the November ballot.
With so many measures geared towards chipping away reproductive rights, you try picking a “winner.”
Worth Noting
- Virginia may have passed its sonogram law, but with only a week to go in the legislative session, lawmakers are still fighting over the state budget, with little chance of compromise any time soon.
- Most of the anti-union measures looked dead in Arizona, until the state Senate passed one this week banning “release time.” It’s the second anti-public employee union bill to pass the Senate, although the most virulent measure, banning collective bargaining, doesn’t appear to have the votes.
- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is working to expand drug treatment centers and make rehab programs mandatory for non-violent drug offenders-instead of jail time.
- The Keystone XL pipeline is back again. A farmer in Texas lost her restraining order against the TransCanada corporation, which means the corporation can build the pipeline on her property.
- In other Texas news, after months of redistricting wars, the state finally has a primary date, set for May 29, and a set of interim maps. Democrats and minority voting groups have criticized the new court-drawn maps, which give Republicans a big advantage in both the state House and in Congress.
Each Friday-well at least most Fridays-I’m going to sum up the big news happening in states around the country. To make it more interesting, I’m naming a State of the Week where the biggest news came from. See something that’s missing? Tell me: arapoport@prospect.org or on Twitter @RaRapoport.