AZ Legislature Passes Two Bills Restricting Abortion

The Arizona Republic: Senate votes send abortion bills to Napolitano, by Amanda Crawford:

 

The Legislature passed two bills Tuesday regulating abortions in Arizona – one clarifying how a judge can approve an abortion for a minor and the other establishing state penalties for a controversial late-term procedure.

The bills, passed by the Senate, now go to the governor's desk. Gov. Janet Napolitano has vetoed similar bills in the past.

HB 2263 expands existing state law by outlining the criteria a judge should consider when deciding if there is “clear and convincing” evidence that a minor is mature enough to have an abortion without a parent's consent. Some of the things a judge can consider under the bill: whether the minor has worked and lived outside the home, handled her personal finances or made other significant decisions on her own....

The other bill, HB 2769, builds off a federal law banning so-called partial-birth abortions. The measure would make the late-term procedure also illegal under state law, which supporters say is needed to allow local prosecutors to make sure the ban is being enforced.