Dem abortion bill would nullify parental consent laws in every state

Laurel Duggan, DCNF

Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal introduced a sweeping abortion bill cosponsored by 47 Senate Democrats that would nullify parental consent laws nationwide.

The Women’s Health Protection Act would make elective abortion a right in the first six months of pregnancy and would force states to allow abortions in the last trimester, after the point at which a child can survive outside the womb, in cases where a healthcare worker finds pregnancy could harm a mother’s mental or physical health. The legislation would also automatically strike down all state laws restricting abortions in the first six months of pregnancy and does not include exceptions for parental notification or consent laws, which require parents to be notified of or grant permission for their underage child to have an abortion.

Underage patients need a parent’s consent to get an abortion in 21 states, while ten states require one or more parents to be notified of their child’s abortion and six states require both, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski cited the bill’s broad language and failure to allow parental consent laws as part of their reason for refusing to vote for it in a joint February 28 press release.

I have always supported a woman’s right to choose, the precedents established by Roe v. Wade, and the limitations the Supreme Court has placed on laws regarding abortion services. https://t.co/Vwe2AP430v

— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) March 1, 2022

“The WHPA’s overly broad language far exceeds Roe by striking down state laws such as those that require certain materials to be given to the patient, prohibit sex-based abortions, or require parental or guardian notification for minors seeking an abortion,” the press release said.

Democrats have even stripped common-sense requirements from their bill, such as parental consent for minors and bans on partial-birth abortion.

You could be kept in the dark as your child seeks an abortion. States would be barred from protecting children on the cusp of birth.

— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) May 10, 2022

“Pro-abortion bill in Senate goes beyond ‘Roe’ and would allow minors to get abortions without parental consent, provide tax dollars for abortions, force religious hospitals to perform abortions, and ensure unborn human beings could be killed until moment of birth (and beyond),” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said on Twitter.

Blumenthal’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.