Another abortion bill emerges in Legislature

The bill by Sen. Roy Herron, D-Dresden, and Rep. Phillip Pinion, D-Union City, was approved by the House’s Late Bills Committee this week.

The Late Bills Committee, consisting of House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh and the two party leaders, Democratic leader Kim McMillan and Republican leader Tre’ Hargett, is a rarely used mechanism to get bills before the Legislature after the deadline for filing regular bills has passed. It must act unanimously.

The Senate’s version of the late bills committee had not acted on the bill by Thursday.

Naifeh said the bill would be in the same subcommittee that voted 5-4 this week against a constitutional amendment regarding abortion rights. The sponsor of that resolution has vowed to try to resurrect it through a vote of the full committee. That resolution already has passed in the Senate.

The bill introduced this week has provisions similar to ones struck down by the state Supreme Court four years ago.

It would require the woman to sign an informed consent form acknowledging she had been fully apprised of the risks of abortion as well as childbirth, been told of other options such as adoption, and given at least a general description of the medical procedure itself.

It also would require abortions to be performed by licensed physicians, and provides exceptions to the restrictions in cases where it is necessary to protect the life or health of the mother.

The 24-hour waiting period is half as long as the waiting period that was struck down by the court.