Lawmakers send abortion-rights bill to [Governor] Lujan Grisham (NM repeals strict anti-abortion bill to allow abortion on-demand)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | Friday, February 19, 2021 | Dan McKay

[CedarDave]

SANTA FE — New Mexico lawmakers ended a bruising, two-year debate Friday with passage of a bill repealing the state’s 1969 anti-abortion law — delivering on a longtime priority of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The legislation, Senate Bill 10, won approval in the House 40-30 on Friday and now goes to the governor’s desk.

Rep. Micaela Lara Cadena, D-Mesilla, said passage of the bill would guarantee abortion rights, in case the U.S. Supreme Court revisits its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade.

“I know we can each hold our own personal beliefs about abortion and still fundamentally trust New Mexicans to make these private decisions for themselves,” Lara Cadena said during Friday’s three-hour debate.

Speaking shortly before the vote, Lujan Grisham said she would sign the bill as soon as it reaches her desk. Decriminalizing abortion, she said, could save women’s lives.

Republican Rep. Rebecca Dow of Truth or Consequences spoke about her own unexpected pregnancy at 19 and hearing a heartbeat during an ultrasound.

“It changed the trajectory of my life,” Dow said. My daughter “has been one of the most wonderful things I’ve done — to choose life for her.”

She and other Republicans voted against the bill.

The legislation repeals a state law — now largely unenforceable — making it a crime to end a woman’s pregnancy, except in certain circumstances, such as rape. The law on the books also says the procedure must be approved in writing by a hospital board.

Debate over the bill has reshaped the composition of the Legislature. It emerged as a key issue in the 2020 primary election, when five Democratic senators who opposed the measure lost to challengers from the left.

House action on the bill Friday came about a week after it cleared the Senate 25-17 last week.

[CedarDave]

Once again proving elections have consequences. Pro-life supporters are badly out numbered in New Mexico's RadDem legislature.

[CedarDave]

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[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Don't worry, some federal king judge will strike it down just like they always do to pro-life bills.

< /Extreme Sarcasm >

[Regulator]

But...Hispanics = Natural Conservatives

Death of a Meme