House To Vote On Abortion Bill Thursday

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- House lawmakers are set to vote on a divisive abortion bill Thursday afternoon. Though Speaker Nicholas Mattiello scheduled the bill for a vote, he said he will be voting against it.

Mattiello said in a statement that although he is anti-abortion, he understands that it is a "sensitive" issue that needs to be voted on.

"I am mindful that 70 percent of the people, in a poll conducted last fall, support the codification of Roe v. Wade into state law," Mattiello continued. "I previously indicated the House would have a collaborative process on this issue and I would seek the guidance from the Judiciary Committee, my House colleagues and Rhode Islanders. After the collaborative process, the decision was reached to place the issue on the floor for a vote."

The House session will convene at 4 p.m.

The bill is called the Reproductive Privacy Act, and is sponsored by Representative Anastasia P. Williams (D-Dist. 9, Providence). If passed, it would prevent any restrictions to abortion access up until the point of fetal viability, the point when a fetus could survive on its own outside the womb, either with or without medical support.

The definition of when fetal viability occurs 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.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill Tuesday night by a vote of nine to seven. Representatives Craven, Shanley, McEntee, Almeida, Canario, Casimiro, Edwards, Jackson and McKiernan voted yes, while Representatives Corvese, Millea, Noret, Place, Roberts, Vella-Wilk and Blake were in opposition.

That same night, The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on its version of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Gayle Goldin. So many people signed up to speak that testimony stretched until sunrise, with the last person called to speak just before 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Anti-abortion groups have vehemently opposed the bill. Dicese of Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin applauded Mattiello's decision to vote in opposition.

"Very pleased to read that Speaker Mattiello will vote against the proposed abortion bill," Tobin wrote on Twitter Thursday morning. "Hope others will follow his lead. The bill is confusing and has other consequences; it’s morally unacceptable; and most people oppose the late term abortions the bill allows."

Abortion rights groups including Planned Parenthood and The Womxn Project have come out in support of the legislation. Womxn Project supporters have been at the State House throughout the day in support.

"This is a historic legislative day at the state house," a volunteer said in a video on the group's Twitter page. "No amendments, no delays, pass the RPA today!"

READ MORE:

• House Judiciary Committee Passes Abortion Bill 9-7
• Why Unconstitutional 'Fetal Heartbeat' Bills Beat On