Post by Logan on Feb 1, 2016 21:33:38 GMT -6
OLYMPIA — Washington state is among a handful of states this year where lawmakers are seeking to ban abortions sought because of the gender of a fetus, something abortion-rights groups say is a veiled effort to expand restrictions to abortion in the state.
Senate Bill 6612, sponsored by Republican Sen. Ann Rivers of La Center, would make it a Class C felony, carrying a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine, for a doctor to knowingly perform or attempt an abortion sought solely because of the sex of the fetus. A physician would also face losing his or her medical license.
The bill, which has a public hearing Tuesday morning, notes that the United States, along with other counties, “has petitioned the United National General Assembly to declare sex-selection abortion a crime against women” and that India, Great Britain and China have all taken steps to end the practice.
“The victims of sex-selection abortion are overwhelmingly female,” the bill reads. “Women are a vital part of our society and culture and possess the same fundamental human rights as men.”
Read more: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/washington-bill-seeks-to-ban-sex-selective-abortions/
Senate Bill 6612, sponsored by Republican Sen. Ann Rivers of La Center, would make it a Class C felony, carrying a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine, for a doctor to knowingly perform or attempt an abortion sought solely because of the sex of the fetus. A physician would also face losing his or her medical license.
The bill, which has a public hearing Tuesday morning, notes that the United States, along with other counties, “has petitioned the United National General Assembly to declare sex-selection abortion a crime against women” and that India, Great Britain and China have all taken steps to end the practice.
“The victims of sex-selection abortion are overwhelmingly female,” the bill reads. “Women are a vital part of our society and culture and possess the same fundamental human rights as men.”
Read more: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/washington-bill-seeks-to-ban-sex-selective-abortions/