Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) signed on Tuesday a bill to criminalize abortions based on the race or sex of a fetus, making the state the first in the nation to do so.
The bill, H.B. 2443, makes it a felony for a doctor to perform such abortions, and a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison.
The law allows the father of an aborted fetus - or, if the mother is a minor, the mother’s parents - to take legal action against the doctor or other health-care provider who performed the abortion.
Proponents of the legislation argued that race and sex-based abortions were all too common. But opponents contended that there was no real proof that it was an issue in need of legislative action.
Also from AZCentral:
Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, said he pushed the legislation because of fears women would choose to abort because they didn’t like the gender or the race of the baby.Rep. Katie Hobbs, D-Phoenix, said the only proof Montenegro offered was a magazine article on such practices in China and India.
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