On March 27, the House Judiciary Committee approved, 20-13, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (H.R. 2299). The committee held a hearing on the bill on March 8 (see The Source, 3/9/12).
Sponsored by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the act would criminalize any individual who knowingly transports a minor across state lines to have an abortion in order to avoid parental notification laws in the minor’s home state. The legislation would require providers to seek consent from the parents of the minor seeking an abortion, and then wait 24 hours before they can legally perform the procedure. Under the measure, a provider that knowingly performs an abortion on an out-of-state minor without parental notification or prior judicial authorization would be in violation and, therefore, subject to a fine or imprisonment for up to one year.
The bill would make an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of a minor. In addition, it would not prohibit a provider from performing an abortion if the minor can provide a written statement declaring that she was the victim of sexual abuse, neglect, or physical abuse by a parent, as long as the provider notifies authorities from the minor’s home state to receive reports of child abuse or neglect prior to performing the procedure.
During consideration of the bill, the committee rejected the following amendments: