Monday, May 22, 2023 | 4:21 p.m.
Nevada abortion bill
A bill that would offer protections to out-of-state women seeking an abortion in Nevada from legal snares where the procedure is heading to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s desk, testing a campaign promise that he would help shield out-state abortion seekers from prosecution.
Senate Bill 131 passed easily through the Assembly on Monday 27-14 along party lines, with all but one Democrat voting to pass the measure and all 14 Republicans opposing. Assemblywoman Cecelia Gonzalez, D-Las Vegas, a co-sponsor of the bill, was marked excused.
The bill, introduced in February by Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, aims to codify an executive order issued by then-Gov. Steve Sisolak in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Department last June, when the high court voted to overturn its previous decision in the 1973 landmark case Roe v. Wade, effectively letting each state decide whether abortion was legal in its jurisdiction.
“The vast majority of Nevadans agree that we must never allow our reproductive rights to be taken away or our healthcare criminalized,” said Assembly Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui in an emailed statement. “With the horrific overturning of Roe v. Wade and some states implementing draconian abortion bans, it’s more important than ever to protect women, the right to choose, and the healthcare centers who provide this crucial service," she stated.
If signed into law, SB131 would prevent any health care licensing board from sanctioning a doctor who assisted in providing reproductive health care services and shields them from discipline under another state’s law. For women seeking an abortion, the bill shields them from legal action where the procedure has been banned.
In a statement Monday, Lombardo’s office said the governor hadn’t yet determined if he would sign the bill into law.
“Governor Lombardo encouraged the Legislature to send a clean bill codifying the previous executive order to his desk, and he will review the proposed legislation upon arrival,” Elizabeth Ray, the governor’s communications director, said in an emailed statement.
Lombardo, a first-term Republican, changed his stance on his predecessor’s executive order throughout the campaign trail. The former Clark County Sheriff, who billed himself as a pro-life candidate and earned endorsements from several anti-abortion groups said, initially, if reelected, he would overturn the executive order.
But when pressed about it in a debate with Sisolak in October, Lombardo changed his tune and committed to keeping the order in place.
The measure passed 15-6 in the state Senate on April 19 with two Republicans — Sens. Heidi Seevers Gansert and Carrie Buck — joining with Democrats. Should Lombardo veto the bill, the Legislature could override the veto if one of those two senators remains united with the Democrats.
Since the overturning of Roe, 14 states have either banned abortion completely or made it illegal to receive the procedure after six weeks gestation, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Nevada passed a measure in 1990 protecting abortion in the Silver State until 24 weeks gestation. Such a law could only be repealed if a similar voter initiative was passed.
“Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, we have seen a dangerous and extreme assault on reproductive healthcare and freedom,” said Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola, Chairwoman of the Assembly Commerce & Labor Committee, praising the bill's passage in an emailed statement.
"Senate Bill 131 ensures that any woman, no matter where they live, who needs access to an abortion can come to Nevada to safely and legally obtain this vital reproductive healthcare.”
