Republican lawmakers introduce bill to ban late-term abortions in Oregon
Republican lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation that would restrict access to late-term abortions in Oregon.
In what would be a major reversal of current state law, House Bill 3017 would prevent doctors in Oregon from performing an abortion if the fetus is more than 20 weeks old, or about half-way through a typical pregnancy. Nineteen states already ban abortion past 20 weeks. None of those states is controlled by Democrats, whereas Democrats control the Oregon Legislature and governorship.
Oregon's abortion laws are generally more liberal than in other states. The state does not have common abortion restrictions, like mandatory waiting periods or parental notification and is one of the few states that allows publicly-funded abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research group.
Beyond banning abortions past 20 weeks, House Bill 3017 would also require doctors performing abortions to determine the age of the fetus by making "inquiries" of the woman seeking an abortion and performing "medical examinations and tests" on her.
Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/02/republican_lawmakers_introduce.html#incart_river_home
