Ariz. Senate approves bill to ban state funds for Planned Parenthood

The vote follows abortion restrictions passed by the Arizona legislature this year. In addition, N.H., Calif. and La. lawmakers are weighing abortion bills.

Arizona Republic: Planned Parenthood Funds At Risk In Arizona
Arizona is on the verge of joining eight other states that have banned the use of public dollars for Planned Parenthood. The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would bar the state or any local government from using public money to support an organization that includes abortions among its services. Although House Bill 2800 does not mention Planned Parenthood by name, it's clear the organization is the target (Pitzl, 4/24).

The Associated Press/Houston Chronicle: AZ Senate OKs Ban On Planned Parenthood Funding
Senate Republicans completed a legislative push to bar any public money from being funneled through the state to any abortion provider, including Planned Parenthood. Arizona lawmakers have already approved a bill to impose new restrictions on abortion, including a ban on terminating pregnancies starting at 20 weeks after conception (Davenport, 4/24).

The Associated Press/Boston Globe: N.H. Senate Will Vote On Abortion Bills
The New Hampshire Senate is taking up a half-dozen abortion bills Wednesday, including one that could jeopardize the state's federal funding for its Medicaid program. The bill would cut off taxpayer funding to hospitals, clinics, and others who perform elective abortions, although an amendment proposes exempting hospitals. That would end funding to six Planned Parenthood of Northern New England centers and several other rural clinics (Love, 4/24).

The Sacramento Bee: Bill To Expand Abortion Access In California Falters In State Senate
A proposal aimed at expanding access to a first-trimester abortion procedure in California advanced Tuesday after being stripped of its key provisions, signaling that lawmakers could punt on the issue amid opposition from the California Nurses Association. The original version of Senate Bill 1338, by Democratic Sen. Christine Kehoe, would have allowed trained nurse practitioners, physicians assistants and certified nurse midwives to perform aspiration abortions. Under current law, only doctors can conduct the procedure, which uses a suction method to remove a fetus from a patient's uterus (Van Oot, 4/24).

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Senators Approve Abortion Law Changes
Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to advance proposals that would impose new strictures on abortion providers, including a measure to require clinicians to make an ultrasound both visible and audible to a woman seeking to terminate a pregnancy. ... Several senators noted that [Rep. Sharon Weston] Broome's proposal, filed at the urging of social conservatives, goes beyond a simple addition. The bill also changes the time frame for the ultrasound, requiring that it occurs at least 24 hours before the procedure (Barrow, 4/24).