A terrible tide

Across the nation

New Mexico: Legislators are considering a bill that would repeal a 50-year-old state law that makes it a felony for providers to perform abortions except in rare cases. Though the law has been largely unenforceable since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the bill’s sponsors have argued for repeal in case the high court overturns Roe. New Mexico is one of nine states with unenforced protections for unborn babies in their laws. Similar attempts to repeal the statute failed during the tenure of the state’s former Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, who left office at the end of last year. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has said she will sign the measure if it passes.

In addition to repealing the law, the measure also ends conscience protections for hospital employees who object to performing abortions. Supporters of the law argue that federal legal provisions will continue to allow people to decline to participate in abortions based on religious objections, but pro-life advocates contend the change weakens safeguards and takes out the only explicit protection for people with religious and moral convictions against abortion.

The bill passed out of committee on Saturday.

“Forcing doctors to participate in abortions up to birth is the stated goal of proponents behind this bill,” said New Mexico Alliance for Life director Elisa Martinez, who called the measure a “disgrace.”

Tennessee: State Rep. Micah Van Huss, a Republican, introduced a bill last week that would protect babies from abortion after they have a detectable heartbeat. It is his third attempt to get such a law passed in his state. Heartbeat bills have face varied outcomes across the nation. Ohio legislators passed a heartbeat bill last year but weren’t able to override outgoing Gov. John Kasich’s veto. Last week, a judge struck down Iowa’s heartbeat bill, saying it was unconstitutional.

Congress: Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., introduced a House bill this month that would protect babies from abortion after they can feel pain. The measure mirrors a bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last week. “Today we know that unborn babies not only die but suffer excruciating pain during dismemberment abortion—a cruelty that rips arms and legs off a helpless child,” said Smith. “This tragic human rights abuse must end.”

Utah: A state legislator reintroduced a bill last week that would save babies with an in-utero diagnosis of Down syndrome. The bill passed the Utah’s House of Representatives last year but failed to pass in the state Senate. The measure is one of two pro-life bills up for consideration this year. The other would protect unborn babies after 15 weeks of gestation.

Vermont: A bill similar to New York’s new pro-abortion law is working its way through the state’s legislature. The measure would create a “right” to an abortion and remove all protections for the unborn, regardless of their gestational age. It would also take away any independent rights of “a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus.” —S.G.

Authentic footage

A federal appeals court gave pro-life activist David Daleiden a small victory this month. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that videos released by his organization were “authentic and not deceptively edited.”

The Center for Medical Progress videos showed Planned Parenthood employees discussing how to alter abortion procedures to keep the body parts of unborn babies intact in order to sell them. The court’s opinion dealt with Medicaid funding of Planned Parenthood, but a footnote acknowledged a forensic study found Daleiden’s footage was not altered. —S.G.