[Jan 24, 2006]

      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Saturday looked at how the focus on abortion-related legislation since Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that effectively barred state abortion bans -- has shifted from the federal government to state legislatures, where abortion-rights opponents often find they have more influence. Advocates for both sides point to the new face of the Supreme Court and its recent ruling in Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England as a sign that the "back-to-the-states" movement is gaining popularity, according to the Post-Dispatch (Mannies, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1/21). In the case, the Supreme Court last week ruled unanimously that lower courts should not have invalidated an entire New Hampshire law (HB 763) -- which requires parental notification for minors seeking abortion. The court ordered the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston to review the legislative intent regarding exceptions to the law for medical emergencies (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/20). Several newspapers profiled various states' abortion-related legislation and restrictions. Some of these profiles appear below.

• Indiana: A bill (HB 1096) under consideration in the Indiana Legislature would ban all cases of abortion, unless a woman is threatened with "substantial permanent impairment," the Los Angeles Times reports (Huffstutter/Simon, Los Angeles Times, 1/22). The bill, introduced by state Rep. Troy Woodruff (R), would change state law to make performing an abortion a Class C felony, which can carry a two- to eight-year prison sentence (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/6). He hopes his bill, if passed, would result in a challenge appealed to the Supreme Court, and the court's subsequent reversal of the Roe ruling. Woodruff said, "On an issue that's this personal, it should be decided as local as possible," adding, "We either want these procedures or we don't. ... And I don't." However, Woodruff said he is unsure if the bill will make it out of committee (Los Angeles Times, 1/22).
  


• Nebraska: The Boston Globe on Monday examined abortion rights in Nebraska, which has some of the most restrictive abortion-related laws in the U.S. State Democrats say the debate on abortion conducted by Democrats in Congress needs to be changed to address public opinion. According to a survey conducted in 2000 by the Omaha World-Herald, 72% of Nebraskans believe abortion should be legal at least in certain cases. Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Steven Achelpohl said, "The language should be, 'Nobody likes abortion, but do you think women who get abortions or doctors who perform them should go to jail?'" He added, "We need to turn this around" (Klein, Boston Globe, 1/23).
  


• Virginia: The Richmond Times-Dispatch on Sunday examined Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, or TRAP, laws, and a bill (HB 189) under consideration in the Virginia House that would require abortion clinics to meet strict operating and building standards. The bill, sponsored by Delegate Robert Marshall (R), would require clinics to meet requirements currently set aside for ambulatory surgery centers. A House subcommittee last week delayed action on the bill in order to compare it with similar legislation that failed to pass in 2005. Victoria Cobb, executive director of the Family Foundation of Virginia, said, "Laws that will protect the health of women who enter an abortion clinic are long overdue." However, David Nova, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge, said, "These types of regulations would achieve the same thing" as overturning Roe (Smith, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1/22).

ABCNews' "World News Tonight" on Monday reported on efforts in five states -- Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, South Dakota and Tennessee -- to enact restrictions on abortion rights to bring the issue before the Supreme Court. The segment includes comments from Susan Low Bloch, professor at Georgetown University Law School; South Dakota state Rep. Roger Hunt (R); Karen Pearl, interim president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America; and Woodruff (Tapper, "World News Tonight," ABCNews, 1/23). The complete segment is available online.