The Arizona House passed a bill Thursday that bans abortions based on diagnosis of genetic abnormality, such as Down syndrome.
S.B. 1457 states that the rights of “an unborn child at every stage of development” must be acknowledged and prohibits abortions based on the sex, race, or genetic abnormality of the child. The bill makes exceptions for medical emergencies.
“A person who knowingly” performs such an abortion “is guilty of a class 3 felony,” according to the legislation.
“We’re pleased to see the Arizona legislature taking bold steps to pass this strong pro-life bill,” said Susan B. Anthony List State Policy Director Sue Liebel in a statement. “With over 400 pro-life bills now introduced across the nation in this year alone, it is clear the nation is surging to humanize our laws and protect our most vulnerable children, including babies diagnosed with Down syndrome before birth who are all too frequently targeted for lethal discrimination.”
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“This bill also stops the abortion industry from turning every post office and pharmacy in Arizona into an abortion center in the event that the Biden administration rolls back FDA safety regulations on these dangerous drugs,” Liebel said.
State Democrats opposed the bill, saying the legislation would make physicians scared to provide medical care.
“I’m not comfortable, I might have a county attorney slap charges on me,” said Democratic state Rep. Randy Friese, who is a trauma surgeon, according to the Associated Press. “I’m not going to provide abortion termination to this patient.”
“The result? The patient carries the child to term and delivers a child that is not viable,” Friese said, according to the AP. “That is cruel and uncaring.”
The bill would also require the burial of fetal remains and would allow the unborn baby’s father or maternal grandparents to sue over an abortion, according to the AP.
Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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