RI Senate Committee To Vote On House Abortion Rights Bill

Senate lawmakers are once again poised to vote on a controversial abortion-rights bill. On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on the House "Reproductive Privacy Act," which codifies the rights guaranteed by Roe v. Wade into Rhode Island law.

The vote will come nearly one month to the day after the committee struck down the Senate version of the legislation, the Reproductive Health Care Act. The deciding vote came from Senator Steven Archambault, who said he could not support the bill, which, in his opinion, went "way beyond" Roe v. Wade protections.

"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," the Smithfield Democrat said in a statement.

The House of Representatives approved the bill in a vote of 44 to 30 on March 7. Three amendments were introduced during the more than five hours of debate on the bill. All were struck down and the bill was approved as-is.

"I commend the House of Representatives for sending a clear message today that we as a state will not cower in the face of threats at the national level and that Rhode Island will stand strong in protecting women's access to critical reproductive services," the bill's sponsor, Providence's Democratic Representative Anastasia Williams said at the time.

As with previous votes, protesters on both sides of the issue are expected to turn out in full force on Tuesday night.

"We need you to join us at the State House to show your support for the Reproductive Privacy Act on Tuesday! Protect safe, legal abortion in Rhode Island, no matter what happens at the federal level," Planned Parenthood wrote on Twitter.

The national anti-abortion group "Right To Life" is calling for Rhode Islanders to call or email their state senators while criticizing local new media for its coverage of the legislation.

"Under false pretenses, some local media outlets have joined abortion extremists and unscrupulous politicians to push a New York-style abortion expansion bill here in Rhode Island," the organization tweeted.

Diocese of Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin, a vocal opponent of abortion, has not yet publicly commented on the upcoming vote.