WASHINGTON, D.C., June 5, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo prepares to open abortion as widely as possible in his state, but the legislatures of the other 49 states are moving toward greater regulation, oversight, and protections. On the other hand, legislators appear to be moving toward a wider acceptance of public displays of homosexuality and amorphous sex distinctions.
Delaware
Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, has thrown his support behind a transgender rights act the state's pro-family organizers call a “bathroom bill.” The motion to add “gender identity” to the protected classes shielded from “discrimination” would allow biological men to use the women's restrooms, showers, and locker rooms, and to attend all-girls schools. The bill also instructs, “an employer shall allow an employee to appear, groom and dress consistent with the employee’s gender identity.” The Delaware Family Policy Council warns the bill's “broad scope will impact most organizations in” the state. Biden said he is motivated in part by his friendship with a transgender man. Governor Jack Markell also supports the bill.
Florida
A bill punishing abortionists guilty of infanticide, by failing to administer life-saving care to babies born alive during botched abortions, is being signed into law today by Governor Rick Scott. In March, Planned Parenthood lobbyist Alisa La Polt Snow testified against the bill, saying, “We believe that any decision that’s made” about whether a living baby lives or dies “should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician.” Although Planned Parenthood backed away from her testimony, it never supported the legislation.
Elsewhere in Florida, Hillborough County unanimously repealed a 2005 ban on the city promoting gay pride events. Commissioner Kevin Beckner, who is a homosexual, managed to turn aside two amendments to force gay pride events to receive the same scrutiny as any other organization receiving county funding, or to forbid funding for any pornographic or obscene display. Public nudity, and sometimes sexual intercourse, is common at gay pride events. Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, called the old policy “indefensible…discrimination plain and simple.” Hillborough's county seat is Tampa.
Ohio
The state of Ohio is contemplating a measure that could assure a Toledo abortion facility will not reopen. A provision in the state budget would bar abortionists from having admitting privileges at public hospitals. The amendment would affect the Toledo Women’s Center, run by the Capital Care Network, which state officials closed in April after learning it had lost its admitting privileges with the University of Toledo hospital. Under state law all ambulatory centers must have such rights in the case of botched abortions. Many private hospitals are religiously affiliated and oppose abortion.
The two-year budget, House Bill 59, would also strip funds away from Planned Parenthood, placing the abortion provider at the end of the line to receive state family planning monies. Three similar efforts have failed over the last few years.
Louisiana
Planned Parenthood could come under investigation in Louisiana, if lawmakers in both parties have their way. Senate Concurrent Resolution 57, introduced by Repubican State Senator Danny Martiny of Metairie, would order several state agencies to explore whether Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast has been abusing taxpayer dollars. Martiny's bill passed the Senate on May 20 by a vote of 31-6. On Tuesday, it passed the House 88-3. Rep. Harvey LeBas, D-Ville Platte, said despite his party affiliation, he is on board. “I think it's very much a bipartisan move,” he said, “because we really feel strongly about this type of thing. Anything that has to do with killing and taking a life, we don't want anything like that in this state.” The news comes as Planned Parenthood is set to build an enormous, 7,000-square foot, $4.2 million mega facility in New Orleans. It will be the first Planned Parenthood office in the state to perform abortions when it opens.
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A Democrat in Louisiana has changed parties in part because of the party's dedication to abortion. Louisiana State Senator Elbert Guillory said he could no longer endorse the Democratic Party's “support of dependency over self-reliance, of everything but traditional marriage, of abortion-on-demand, their policies have encouraged the high teen birth rates, high school dropout rates, high incarceration rates, and very high unemployment rates.”
Pennsylvania
When the state health care exchanges go into effect under ObamaCare next year, Pennsylvania's will not cover elective abortion. House Bill 818 passed the Senate on Wednesday by 31-9, after clearing the House in April, 144-53. Republican Governor Tom Corbett has indicated he will sign the bill.
Illinois
Governor Pat Quinn has said he is disappointed the marriage redefinition bill died in the Illinois House. The Democrat-dominated State Senate voted in favor of same-sex “marriage” on February 14, by 34-21 on a mostly party-line vote but floundered in the House. The African-American Caucus, spurred on by the black church, refused to back the bill, and its advocates chose not to push it up for a vote for fear it would not pass. Quinn had promised to sign the bill if he had the chance.
Wisconsin
Democratic state senators are criticizing a pro-life measure that would require abortion-minded women to have an ultrasound in advance. The motion authored by Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, would allow but not force women to see an image of their unborn child. Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, said the provision leaving it up to women is a contradition. But pro-life critics have said the abortion lobby seeks to deny women any information that might make them reconsider their decision to abort.