Rhode Island Abortion Protection Bill Rejected

The controversial abortion-rights bill known as the Reproductive Health Care Act was voted down by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday evening by a single vote. Dozens of protesters both for and against the legislation crowded the hallways of the State House ahead of the committee meeting.

The deciding vote came from State Sen. Steven Archambault, who said Monday night that he would be putting forward his own version of the legislation rather than approving the bill as-is.

"As someone who believes in a woman's right to choose and who thinks it's important to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into state law given the current composition of the U.S. Supreme Court, I am putting forward my own legislation to do just that," Archambault, a Democrat from Smithfield, said in a statement. "I do so because the legislation before us in its present form goes well beyond Roe v. Wade...and there has been no willingness by the sponsors to reach a principled compromise."

Archambault's full statement can be read below.

Senators Erin Prata, Cynthia Coyne, Dawn Euer and Mark McKenney were in favor of the bill, while Senators Archambault, Harold Metts, Leonidas Raptakis, Jessica de la Cruz and Frank Lombardi were opposed.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Gayle Goldin (D-Dist. 3, Providence), increases protections for access to abortions in Rhode Island as well as repeals or amends several laws currently on the books that restrict or affect abortion access.

"Tonight's vote is obviously not the outcome we wanted for reproductive rights in Rhode Island," Sen. Goldin said. "We may have lost the vote on this Senate bill, but this will not end here."

Identical legislation was approved by the full House of Representatives in March following more than five hours of debate. The committee voted to hold that bill, the Reproductive Privacy Act, for further study.

Activists on both sides of the issue came out in full force, chanting loud enough to disrupt the committee meeting. Tuesday morning, Diocese of Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin called for "pro-lifers [to] stay strong!"

The Womxn Project, meanwhile, criticized Archambault's decision to oppose the bill.

"You can push all the lies about the bill and insulting claims about women who need to seek abortion later in pregnancy that you want," the group wrote in Twitter. "We see you. You’re backing out on the commitment you made to the women of the state. And we will remember."

Also on Tuesday, Alabama lawmakers passed what's been described as the country's strictest abortion bill, which would make performing an abortion a felony, even in the case of rape or incest.

Abortion is also legal in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, though partial-birth abortion is banned in New Hampshire. Massachusetts and Rhode Island do not have active partial-birth abortion bans.

Rhode Island abortion legislation

• Senate Committee To Vote On Abortion Rights Bill Tuesday
• Abortion Bill Succeeds In The House With 44-30 Vote
• House Judiciary Committee Passes Abortion Bill 9-7
• House To Vote On Abortion Bill Thursday