Louisiana, New Jersey, Oregon Legislatures Take Actions On Abortion-, Stem Cell Research-Related Legislation

The following highlights recent news of state actions on abortion- and human embryonic stem cell research-related legislation.

Abortion
Louisiana: The House on Tuesday voted 104-0 to pass a bill (HB 614) that would ban so-called "partial-birth" abortion in the state and create criminal penalties for physicians who perform the procedure, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. The Senate passed the bill by a 36-0 vote on Monday, and the measure now goes to Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D). Under the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Gary Beard (R), doctors who provide the procedure could receive fines up to $100,000 and jail sentences of up to 10 years (Sentell, Baton Rouge Advocate, 6/27). The ban would allow exceptions when the life of the pregnant woman is in danger (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/31). According to the AP/Houston Chronicle, Blanco has not indicated whether she would sign the measure (Simpson, AP/Houston Chronicle, 6/26).

Stem Cell Research
New Jersey: The Legislature on Thursday adopted a bill that would authorize a referendum in November to ask voters to approve borrowing $450 million over 10 years to fund stem cell research in the state, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. The Assembly voted 50-27 and the Senate 31-3 to approve the legislation (Hester, AP/Yahoo! News, 6/21). If approved by voters, the funds would be used to award grants to institutions -- including colleges, universities, and state and local government agencies -- that conduct research on both adult and embryonic stem cells and umbilical cord blood, Rep. Neil Cohen (D) said (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/15). Gov. Jon Corzine (D) is expected to sign the legislation authorizing the referendum (AP/Yahoo! News, 6/21). Corzine last year signed a measure into law that authorizes $270 million in state funds for the expansion of embryonic stem cell research and facilities in the state (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 12/22/06).

Oregon: The House on Thursday voted 30-29 in favor of a bill (HB 2801B) that would provide about $160,000 over the next 18 months to a committee to examine the use of public funds for embryonic stem cell research, but the measure needed 31 votes to pass the chamber, the AP/OregonLive reports. Under the legislation, the committee of researchers, medical ethicists, family law specialists and members of the public would be tasked with drafting guidelines for future state investment in stem cell research, as well as seeking public and private donations. The Republican caucus and one Democrat voted against the bill. According to the AP/OregonLive, Rep. Larry Galizio (D) changed his vote on the measure, which could allow it to be reconsidered (Silverman, AP/OregonLive, 6/21).

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