The following highlights recent news of state actions on women's health issues.

Abortion Regulations

• Kentucky: The state Senate on Tuesday voted 34-3 to approve a bill (SB 125) that would require that women seeking abortion receive counseling "orally" and "in-person" prior to undergoing the procedure, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports (Loftus, Louisville Courier-Journal, 3/1). The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Katie Stine (R), would require that a physician, nurse, social worker, or physician's assistant in a "private setting" give women information including the fetus' probable gestational age, the purpose of the procedure and the medical benefits that might be available for prenatal and neonatal care as well as childbirth. State law currently requires that a woman receive counseling at least 24 hours before having an abortion. Under the new measure, the day of the procedure, a woman would have to sign a form saying that the in-person counseling had occurred (Schreiner, AP/Lexington Herald-Leader, 2/28). According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, the House State Government Committee on Tuesday unanimously passed "a nearly identical" measure, sponsored by Tanya Pullin (D) (Alessi, Lexington Herald Leader, 2/28). Both measures now move to the House for consideration (Louisville Courier-Journal, 3/1).
  


• Mississippi: The state House Public Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday voted 19-4 to approve a bill (SB 2922) that would ban abortion except when the life of the woman is in danger, the AP/Biloxi Sun Herald reports (Wagster Pettus/AP/Biloxi Sun Herald, 2/28). The committee amended the bill to require that the state pay for the health care and education of children until age 19 born to women who sought counseling to terminate their pregnancies (Hipp, Jackson Clarion Ledger, 3/1). Gov. Haley Barbour (R) said that the bill "hasn't gotten to my desk yet," adding, "I suspect I'll sign it." He also said, "I would certainly rather it come to my desk with an exception for rape and incest" because he believes that is "consistent with the opinion" of most Mississippians (AP/WLOX.com, 3/1). The bill now moves to the House for consideration (AP/Biloxi Sun Herald, 2/28).
  


• Ohio: The state Senate on Tuesday voted 23-9 to approve a provision added to a bill that would forbid lawsuits against physicians by parents of children with severe birth defects who claim they would have undergone abortion if the doctor had diagnosed the fetus' condition, the Dayton Daily News reports (Samavati, Dayton Daily News, 2/28). The provision, added by Sen. Jim Jordan (R), also prohibits lawsuits that claim negligence by a physician if he or she did not diagnose fetal problems by incorrectly evaluating test results or failing to order such tests. The provision would allow lawsuits against physicians who knowingly withhold information from a pregnant woman about care or treatment that then prevents the woman from considering abortion. Under the provision, physicians still would be subject to a lawsuit if they caused a birth defect (Provance, Toledo Blade, 3/1). The provision was added to a bill that would allow an exemption from state licensing requirements for free-standing maternity clinics if acquiring the license goes against their religious practices or beliefs (Associated Press, 2/28). The bill and the provision now move to the state House for consideration (Toledo Blade, 2/28).

Stem Cell Research

• Maryland: Two state Senate committees on Tuesday voted to approve a bill (SB 144) that would provide state funding for stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell research, but limit financing for projects beyond 2006, the Washington Post reports. The state Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee stipulated that grant funding would be provided for embryonic and adult stem cell projects, although embryonic stem cell research would be given funding preference (Wagner/Marimow, Washington Post, 3/1). The state Senate Budget and Taxation Committee amended the measure to give the governor the authority to determine how much money would go toward stem cell research annually beyond 2006 (AP/ABC7News.com, 2/28). Two state House committees last week voted to approve a similar bill (HB 1) (Skalka, Baltimore Sun, 2/25). The House Health and Government Operations Committee voted 14-10 to approve the bill, sending it to the House Appropriations Committee, which voted 19-7 to approve the measure (Marimov/Wagner, Washington Post, 2/25). The bill, sponsored by state Del. Samuel Rosenberg (D), would distribute $25 million annually in state funds beginning in fiscal year 2008 for embryonic stem cell research projects (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/26). The committee also amended the measure to allow funds to be used for research on adult stem cells, but embryonic stem cell research would be a priority (Stucky, AP/Washington Examiner, 2/24). The state House bill also calls for the creation of two committees to monitor the funds: one with experts from outside the state that would scrutinize and appraise the research proposals and a Maryland-based group that would decide who would receive the funds (Baltimore Sun, 2/25). In addition, the measure prohibits human cloning and allows funds for research on embryos that are no longer needed for fertility treatments, the AP/Examiner reports (AP/Washington Examiner, 2/24). The measure now moves to the state House, which is expected to vote on it Friday (AP/ABC7News.com, 2/28).
  


• Mississippi: The state Senate Public Health and Welfare committee on Tuesday rejected by voice vote a bill (HB 1202) that would have banned all forms of human cloning, including the cloning of human embryos for stem cell research, the AP/Biloxi Sun Herald reports (Wagster Pettus, AP/Biloxi Sun Herald, 2/28). The measure, which passed the state House last month, would have allowed stem cell research using embryos discarded from fertility treatments and would have created a committee to advise the Legislature on the scientific and ethical boundaries of such research. The bill also included an amendment exempting Mississippi residents from criminal penalties if they traveled out of state to receive the products of human cloning as part of medical care, provided it was a legal procedure in that location (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/13).

Other Regulations

• Idaho: The state Senate on Tuesday voted 18-16 to approve a bill (SB 1337) that would punish pregnant women who use methamphetamine or other drugs with possible jail time, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Denton Darrington (R), also would allow authorities to take custody of an infant if he or she tests positive for drugs at birth. The bill now moves to the state House for consideration (Boone, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3/1). According to Reuters, if the bill is signed into law, it would become the first law in the U.S. to punish pregnant women for drug use (Reuters, 2/28).