Abortion bills resurface
Provo senator sees swift approval in the Legislature
They will pass them quickly, predicts the new Senate sponsor of the measures.
The whole anti-abortion incident, which saw GOP senators roundly criticized by conservative members of their own party for not passing the bills a year ago, has led to charges of "grandstanding" by various sides in the fervor over an anti-partial-birth abortion bill and a separate measure that would ban the use of any Utah state tax dollars paying for abortions.
Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, has pre-filed two bills for next month's Legislature that "use the exact same language" as two House bills that died on the Senate floor without a vote as the 2003 Legislature came to an end this past March.
One of the House bills was actually being debated when the midnight adjournment came — debated by a Senate Democrat who knew that most of his GOP colleagues were not that upset that the measure would never get a vote.
But when the bills died, many right-to-life Republicans were outraged.
In the August state Republican Party convention, three resolutions were introduced condemning GOP senators for not passing the bills, one even calling for the top Republican leadership — President Al Mansell, R-Sandy; Majority Leader Mike Waddoups, R-Taylorsville; and Assistant Whip John Valentine, R-Orem — to be replaced.
On loudspeakers outside of the Salt Lake Community College meeting hall, anti-abortion activists were playing a recording of the last several minutes of the 2003 Senate debate. Hearing quips, laughs and other dialogue by weary senators, the activists said such talk showed GOP Senate leaders were making no attempts to bring up the two anti-abortion bills.
"Actually," says Bramble, "it was very disingenuous for those (GOP groups) to even introduce those resolutions" at the GOP convention condemning Republican senators. "Two days after the session ended, I met with those groups and told them that these bills would be re-introduced and taken care of."
The loudspeakers, resolutions and subsequent complaints by fellow Republicans "were grandstanding — an attempt for them to get publicity," said Bramble.
No way, says Don Guymon, sponsor of one of the resolutions.
"We are disingenuous? Three out of the last four years the Senate has had similar (anti-abortion) bills before it and failed to act. Sen. Bramble said he would get these two bills before an interim committee (this summer) for a hearing — yet no hearing was held on them. Now he promises action; but who is being disingenuous? Childrens' lives are at stake."
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