States Weigh Legislation Related to Abortion Rights, Sex Education

February 9, 2010 — The following summarizes recent action on state legislation related to abortion rights and sex education programs.

~ Kentucky: During a rally at the Kentucky Capitol on Wednesday, antiabortion-rights advocates urged lawmakers to support a bill (SB 38) that would require a woman seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound and obtain counseling 24 hours before the procedure, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. The bill passed the state Senate Jan. 25 and is pending in the state House Health and Welfare Committee. In 2009, a similar bill died in the committee after a tie vote (Yetter, Louisville Courier-Journal, 2/4). Meanwhile, advocates for sex education in public schools rallied at the Capitol on Thursday to advocate for a bill (HB 119) that would require a science-based curriculum for teaching sex education, the AP/Lexington-Herald Leader reports. Although the bill does not require that schools teach sex education, it would require that such curricula include age-appropriate, culturally sensitive and medically accurate information (AP/Lexington Herald-Leader, 2/5).

~ Iowa: A subcommittee of the Iowa Legislature on Thursday approved a bill that would give inheritance rights to Iowa children born up to two years after the death of a parent, a change intended to extend the rights to children conceived through in vitro fertilization, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. The bill would overturn a 150-year old state law that limits inheritance only to children conceived during marriage, allowing children conceived via in vitro fertilization to receive various benefits, including Social Security survivor payments, even if they were gestated after a parent's death. Iowa lawmakers said they hope to continue discussions on the bill but are concerned that issues such as abortion-rights and assisted suicide will enter the debate (Glover, AP/Chicago Tribune, 2/4).

~ Vermont: A second Vermont car accident that resulted in the death of twin fetuses has renewed attention on legislation that would allow criminal charges in such cases, the Burlington Free Press reports. Several versions of the legislation (S 273, S 175, H 605) have been introduced, some of which would grant fetuses constitutional rights. Abortion-rights advocates say granting rights to fetuses would interfere with state abortion laws. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Richard Sears (D) said his version of the legislation would sidestep abortion-related issues by increasing penalties for harm to a pregnant woman without granting fetal rights, though he added that some abortion-rights lawmakers oppose his measure as well. The women involved in the car accidents -- Sarah Cardinal, was eight-months pregnant with twins, and Patricia Blair, who was six-months pregnant with twins -- both survived and are advocating to allow criminal charges for fetal deaths (Hallenbeck, Burlington Free Press, 2/4).