House Committee Set To Vote On Abortion Rights Bill

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday evening on a divisive abortion rights bill. At the same time, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be hearing testimony on its version of the bill.

The "Reproductive Privacy Act" is meant to build on reproductive rights protections outlined in Roe v. Wade and update reproductive health laws currently in place in Rhode Island.

Under the bill, abortions would be required to be made available up until "fetal viability": the point when a fetus could survive on its own outside the womb, either with or without medical support. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Anastasia P. Williams (D-Dist. 9, Providence), and is similar to a second bill also introduced in the house entitled the "Reproductive Health Care Act."

The timing of fetal viability has changed over the years, but the most generally-accepted threshold is around the 23 to 24-week mark. The American Academy of Pediatrics' official stance is that fetal viability varies from pregnancy to pregnancy, and must be determined on a case-by-case basis by the mother's healthcare provider.

Williams' bill states that no one, including the state, can interfere with a woman's access to an abortion, interfere with the decision to terminate a pregnancy, or prevent access to contraception. The bill also allows for late-term abortions (past the point of fetal viability) if the mother's life is at stake.

"With growing threats to reproductive rights from our federal government, the time is now for a new approach to passing legislation protecting a woman's right to choose and enshrining those principles in our state laws," Rep. Williams said of the bill. "This legislation is all about making sure that, regardless of what happens in Washington, D.C., Rhode Island women will have safe, legal access to reproductive health care when and if they need it."

The bill is part of an effort by lawmakers across several states to reinforce Roe v. Wade protections in state law in the event it is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The bill has been met with fierce opposition by anti-abortion groups across Rhode Island, who have staged several demonstrations at the state house.

Rhode Island Right To Life called the updated version of the bill "a political fig leaf made of cellophane," adding that the "extreme abortion bill" goes far beyond simply codifying Roe v. Wade.

"It would be a very sad and despicable legacy for a self-professed pro-life Speaker to be responsible for creating the first-ever statutory right to abortion in Rhode Island state history, particularly one so broad and so extreme," wrote the organization's Director Barth E. Bracy.

Diocese of Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin has spoken out against the bill as well.

"If the abortion expansion law passes in R.I. it won’t be the end of the world, except for: unborn children who will never see the light of day; women whose lives will be forever scarred by abortion; our society which will perish if we insist on killing our offspring," he wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning.

If the abortion expansion law passes in R.I. it won’t be the end of the world, except for: unborn children who will never see the light of day; women whose lives will be forever scarred by abortion; our society which will perish if we insist on killing our offspring.
— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/ThomasJTob... 5, 2019

Abortion rights activists, meanwhile, have vocally supported the legislation. Planned Parenthood is planning a state house rally at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, ahead of the committee meetings.

"The anti-choice groups are intentionally spreading misinformation around RHCA," the organization wrote. "We know they will be out in force today at the State House. We have to show up in bigger numbers and be louder than ever before. Rhode Islanders reproductive rights are on the line!"

The Rhode Island Coalition For Reproductive Freedom has also thrown its support behind the bill.

"Tuesday, March 5, is a momentous day for reproductive freedom in Rhode Island," reads a statement from the organization. "The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear S0152, The Reproductive Health Care Act, and the House Judiciary Committee will consider H5125 Sub-A. We look forward to a robust showing of support at the Senate hearing, and are eager to see H5125 Sub-A voted out of the House Judiciary Committee and to the floor for a vote by the full House of Representatives."