Arkansas panel backs bill banning sex-discrimination abortions

A committee of lawmakers backed a bill prohibiting a woman from obtaining an abortion solely based on the sex of the child.

Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, explained to a House committee that his bill, HB 1434, is based on a “simple, straightforward idea.” The bill would ban doctors from performing an abortion if they know the woman seeking the procedure wants it performed solely based on the sex of the fetus.

Collins told lawmakers he does not see the issue as widespread in the United States, but that other countries such as China have a real problem valuing men over women. He called the legislation “narrowly tailored” and not nearly as broad as similar laws adopted by several other states.

Ashley Wright, a representative from Planned Parenthood of the Great Plains, told the committee the bill intrudes on the doctor-patient relationship, turning doctors into “investigators” and patients into “suspects.”

Read more: http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/feb/09/panel-backs-bill-banning-sex-discrimination-aborti/