Neb. Gov. Signs Parental Consent Bill; Minn. Gov. Vetoes Two Antiabortion-Rights Bills

May 27, 2011 — Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) on Thursday signed two bills restricting abortion access in the state: a measure (LB 690) requiring parental consent before a minor can receive abortion care and a bill (LB 521) that bars the use of telemedicine to consult with a patient before remotely prescribing medication abortion, the AP/Greenfield Daily Reporter reports (Schulte, AP/Greenfield Daily Reporter, 5/26).

Legislators on Thursday voted 41-6 to give final approval to the parental consent bill, sending it to the governor's desk (O'Hanlon, Lincoln Journal Star, 5/26). The bill requires minors to obtain written, notarized permission from a parent or legal guardian before accessing abortion services. Minors would need to obtain notarized written consent from a grandparent if she provides a signed statement saying that her parents or guardian are abusive toward her. If the minor decides not to have an abortion, she would be deemed emancipated from her parents or guardians so that she would be eligible for public assistance (Women's Health Policy Report, 5/19).

State Sen. Danielle Conrad said the bill was an effort to advance a "thinly veiled anti-choice, anti-woman, anti-health care agenda." She added that the state already "do[es] plenty in terms of abortion restriction. We do nothing in terms of education, prevention and providing services to vulnerable individuals, families and women once the babies are here" (AP/Greenfield Daily Reporter, 5/27).

The telemedicine bill is aimed at blocking Planned Parenthood of the Heartland from replicating a program that uses telemedicine to provide medication abortion services in 16 Iowa clinics. Through the program, a woman seeking abortion care receives an ultrasound and examination from a nurse and then consults with a physician via the Internet on a private computer. If the physician determines that the patient is an appropriate candidate for medication abortion, he or she dispenses the medication remotely by pressing a button that opens a container with the drugs at the patient's location. The measure would allow felony charges against physicians convicted of violating the requirements, with a punishment of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine (Women's Health Policy Report, 5/19).

Minnesota Gov. Vetoes Two Antiabortion Bills

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) on Wednesday vetoed bans on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy and public funding of abortion care, Reuters reports. Minnesota Republicans hold majorities in both chambers but do not have the two-thirds majority needed to override the vetoes (Bailey, Reuters, 5/25).

Lawmakers voted largely on party lines last week to approve the bill (SF 649) that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in medical emergencies (Reuters, 5/25). Supporters of the bill claim that fetuses might feel pain beginning at 20 weeks, while opponents point to studies showing that is unlikely. The bill would make it a felony to perform an abortion beyond 20 weeks (Women's Health Policy Report, 5/17). Dayton said, "Imposing civil penalties and making it a felony for a doctor to deliver care that is in the best interest of the patient is unconscionable" (Reuters, 5/25).

The second bill (HR 201) would have banned public funding for abortion care. Dayton said that the language in the bill was vague ("Hot Dish Politics," Minneapolis Star Tribune, 5/25).