Reproductive Rights Updates: Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alabama, South Dakota

Ohio! There are two issues in Ohio. First, the a senate committee will have the first public hearings (1pm EST) on HB 125, aka the "heartbeat bill".

The Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee, which is chaired by Sen. Scott Oelslager, R- North Canton, will hear from the bill’s sponsor, proponents and interested parties today. Typically, opponents also are given a chance to weigh in on legislation, but no other hearing has been scheduled at this point.

Oelslager also chaired a special committee appointed by Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, that has been privately reviewing the legislation, which passed the House in June.

That doesn't sound suspicious at all. Sounds like totally balanced government, right there. Sure.

Now, I came across this by accident in looking up info on the senate hearing mentioned above: SB 201. SB 201 was introduced to a senate finance committee yesterday. So while it's new, it's not that new because it's the companion legislation to HB 298, which I wrote about back in July. The bills are an attempt at a Medicaid work-around to de-fund Planned Parenthood.

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In Michigan, a senate committee sent two bills to to the senate that prohibit insurance coverage of abortion services:

Health Policy Committee members on Wednesday sent to the full Senate two bills that would require health insurance policies sold on the MiHealth Marketplace website or in insurance markets to not cover abortions unless women buy an additional rider on their policies.

The leader of MI "Right to Life" supports this, of course, because he says: "abortion is a social decision, not health care." Of course you say things like that! Of course you do.

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In Wisconsin, there will be a hearing next week on SB 306 (AB 371), which is a bill that says women cannot get an abortion via medication unless seeing a doctor in person.

Madison - A hearing is slated for Dec. 13 on a bill that would prevent women from receiving drugs that induce abortions unless a doctor gives them a physical exam and is in the same room when they receive the drugs.

[...]

The legislation would also require doctors to speak with women seeking abortions out of the presence of others to determine whether they were coerced into getting abortions.

Supporters of this are very determined that women should not get a consult via webcam. Supporters of this are very determined to make as many hurdles possible.

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In Alabama, Sen. Phil Williams (R-Madison) has "pre-filed" a "personhood" bill for the Feb. 2012 session.

Senate Bill 5 looks to legally define humans as persons from the moment of fertilization and implantation. It is similar to Mississippi’s personhood bill, which was defeated 58 percent to 42 percent on Nov. 8.

Williams’ attempt to pass comparable legislation earlier in the year was killed by a voice vote on the Senate floor.

In an interview with Mobile news station WKRG on Nov. 9, Williams said he believes personhood legislation is important to Alabamians.

“Number one, I think that this is a matter of state’s rights, that we can do this,” Williams said. “I think that this is something that Alabamians would want.”

Intro'ing a bullshit bill that's similar to another that was shot down earlier this year totally doesn't sound like a colossal waste of time at all!

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In South Dakota, a federal appeals court has agreed to rehear arguments about doctors being forced to tell patients that they'll have a higher risk of wanting to commit suicide if they have an abortion.

he South Dakota Attorney General's office says a federal appeals court has agreed to rehear a case dealing with a 2005 South Dakota abortion law.

[...]

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says the full 11-member court will rehear arguments related to the suicide advisory in January.

The suicide bit? A lie (.pdf).