A publication by pro-choice organization Guttmacher Institute as reported by The Baptist Press shows that 19 states in the U.S. enacted 43 pro-life provisions in 2012. That number is second only to the number of pro-life provisions that went into effect in 2011 (92).
The report showed Arizona passed seven pro-life laws last year, followed by Kansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and South Dakota with at least three laws each. Most of the provisions banned late-term abortions (abortions performed after 20 weeks), limited abortion health care coverage, and regulated medical abortions. Some laws also required women to have an ultrasound before having an abortion — studies show women planning abortion are 60 percent more likely to proceed with their pregnancy after seeing an ultrasound of the baby.
CitizenLink bioethics analyst Dawn McBane celebrated this week: “For those who have been in the pro-life trenches for years, the remarkable passage of so many pro-life pieces of legislation should give these faithful warriors much hope and encouragement.”
Texas lawmakers will introduce six more pro-life bills in 2013. Texas governor Rick Perry commented in December on these laws that, “to be clear, my goal, and the goal of many of those joining me here today, is to make abortion, at any stage, a thing of the past.”
