Anti-abortion state senator pulls sneak attack (Update)
Sen. Barry Loudermilk rolls out a much more stringent bill in Rules Committee
'Tis the time of the legislative session when people stop being polite and start getting deceptive.
Political observers were surprised during yesterday's Rules Committee to discover that State Sen. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, had magically tightened up his bill banning abortions after 20 weeks to — surprise! — requiring the procedure be performed only in hospitals.
Such a move would essentially shut down the abortion clinics in the state. Via Aaron Gould Sheinin and Chris Quinn:
The switch in content surprised abortion rights advocates, who complained the process was deceptive.
"To put it in a nutshell abortions would be legal in Georgia, you just couldn't get one," said Janelle Yamarick, the community services director at Feminist Women's Health Center of DeKalb County.
According to providers, nearly all abortions take place in Georgia's 14 clinics and doctors offices, and no one knew how many hospitals in Georgia offered abortions on demand.
The bill's to be discussed again today at 10 a.m.
11:21 a.m.: Gould Sheinin tweets that Rules Chairman Don Balfour, R-Snellville, has decided to table the bill.
Charlie Harper at Peach Pundit adds:
If tabled, it is unlikely SB 209 will pass as a stand alone bill this year, as it will not have time to complete the Committee process and make it to the floor of the full Senate by Wednesday’s “crossover day”.
Any effort to pass either a fetal pain bill, or a measure to close Georgia’s abortion clinics in favor of hospital-only procedures, will now likely have to be the result of attaching these items to other legislation on the floor of the House of Senate through the amendment process.
SB 210, a bill to allow civil lawsuits for wrongful death in some circumstances related to abortions, passed the Rules Committee yesterday, but still must be voted to the full Senate on Monday. At this point, it is the most likely vehicle for any floor amendments, depending on the “rule” it receives coming out of committee.
NOTE: This post has been altered to correct the name of one of the AJC writers.