USA – Battles expected in many states over abortion-related bills

Battles expected in many states over abortion-related bills

By David Crary | AP
January 16, 2019

NEW YORK — On each side of the abortion debate, legislators and activists emboldened by recent political developments plan to push aggressively in many states this year for bills high on their wish lists: either seeking to impose near-total bans on abortion or guaranteeing women’s access to the procedure.

For abortion opponents, many of whom will rally Friday at the annual March for Life in Washington, there’s a surge of optimism that sweeping abortion bans might have a chance of prevailing in the reconfigured U.S. Supreme Court that includes Donald Trump’s appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Legislators in at least five states — Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Florida and South Carolina — are expected to consider bills that would ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, possibly just six weeks into a pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/whitehouse/battles-expected-in-many-states-over-abortion-related-bills/2019/01/16/431b76e8-19a7-11e9-b8e6-567190c2fd08_story.html