CRUCIAL
LIFE ISSUES BILLS of 1999-2000
The
following bills of the California State Legislature dealt with crucial life
issues of abortion, infanticide or euthanasia. For each bill, a brief
statement of the main issue and the pro-life/pro-family voting position are
given. The final disposition of the bill is noted.
AB
39 (Hertzberg), Health care
coverage: contraceptive drugs - OPPOSE
This bill
would require certain group health care service plan contracts to provide
coverage for a variety of FDA approved prescription contraceptive methods.
Benefits are to be provided for plan enrollee, enrollee's covered spouse, and
covered non-spouse dependents (no stated restriction for minors). Passed by
the Legislature, approved by the Governor.
AB
507 (Runner), Abortion: informed
consent: Medi-Cal - SUPPORT
This bill
would prohibit Medi-Cal from paying for an abortion performed on a woman that
had an abortion previously unless the 2nd or subsequent abortion is performed
with the voluntary and informed consent of the woman. Failed passage in
committee.
AB
920 (Cardenas), Comprehensive
school health centers: funding - OPPOSE
This bill
would provide funding for school based clinics which would provide direct
primary care medical services. This would include reproductive services
offering condoms, contraceptives, and abortion referrals to school children
without parental knowledge or consent. This bill would fund AB 1363 (below). Died
pursuant to Constitution.
AB
1363 (Davis), School health
centers - OPPOSE
This bill
would expand school based health clinics in California elementary and
secondary schools which would provide direct primary care medical services.
This would include reproductive services offering condoms, contraceptives, and
abortion referrals to school children without parental knowledge or consent. Passed
by the Legislature, vetoed by the Governor.
AB
1424 (House), Partial birth
abortion: ban - SUPPORT
This bill
would prohibit a person from knowingly performing or attempting to perform a
partial-birth abortion unless reasonably believed necessary to save the life
of the pregnant woman and no other procedure would suffice for that purpose. Died
pursuant to Constitution.
AB
1592 (Aroner), The Death With
Dignity Act - OPPOSE
This bill
would legalize physician-assisted-suicide in California, permitting doctors to
prescribe poison for patients who desire to commit suicide. The bill has no
real safeguard to prevent voluntary physician-assisted-suicide from becoming
involuntary physician-conducted-homicide as has happened in Holland. Placed
in inactive file by author.
AB
1740 (Ducheny), State Budget -
OPPOSE
This is
the California State Budget, which contains unrestricted funding of
abortion-on-demand. Typically, $40 million are expended annually to kill
120,000 unborn children. Additionally, another $160 million is allocated to
fund abortion-related programs, agencies and organizations. Passed by the
Legislature, approved by the Governor.
AB
1749 (Kaloogian), Pupil:
attendance - SUPPORT
This bill
would require the parent or guardian of a pupil excused for the purpose of
obtaining confidential medical services without the consent of the pupil's
parent or guardian to be notified of the excused absence within 10 days of the
day the pupil was excused from school. Failed passage in committee.
AB
1764 (Maddox), Child abandonment:
newborns - SUPPORT
This bill
would absolve the parent of a child 30 days old or younger from child
abandonment if the parent voluntarily surrenders physical custody of that
child to an employee on duty at a police station, fire house, social welfare
office, child protective agency, or county hospital emergency room. The intent
is to dissuade a distraught mother from discarding her newborn as trash. Placed
in inactive file by Senator Brulte, see SB 1368.
AB
1769 (Robert Pacheco), Gross
vehicular manslaughter: fetus - SUPPORT
This bill
would include the killing of a fetus in the unlawful killing of a human being
without malice aforethought as a result of an unlawful act while driving a
vehicle. Failed passage in committee.
AB
2192 (Baldwin), Abortion:
reporting complications - SUPPORT
This bill
would require any physician and surgeon who diagnoses a woman as having
complications resulting from an abortion to report, within 72 hours of that
diagnosis, that diagnosis to the local health officer of the jurisdiction
where the patient resides. Failed passage in committee.
AB
2202 (Baldwin), Aborted fetal
tissue and body parts: sale, purchase, donation, or use - SUPPORT
This bill
would prohibit any person from buying, selling, donating, or using any aborted
product of human conception for any purpose, other than those necessary to
preserve the life of the aborted fetus should it be born alive, and for
autopsies and pathological testing that pertains to the mother or the fetus
itself. Held under submission in committee.
AB
2556 (Hertzberg), School and
community partnership collaborations
- OPPOSE
This bill
would include school based clinics in its proposed partnership collaborations.
School based clinics would provide full reproductive services, including
condoms, contraceptives and abortion referrals, to minor school children
without parental notification or consent. No action taken by committee.
SB
149 (Haynes), The Sharon Hamptlon
Act of 1999 - SUPPORT
This bill
would establish general standards for performing abortions and the operation
of abortion facilities, requiring accreditation standards for an abortion
facility. This bill was prompted by the death of Sharon Hamptlon at the hands
of abortionist Bruce Steir who was subsequently convicted and sent to prison. Failed
passage in committee.
SB
370 (Burton), Abortion - OPPOSE
This bill
would repeal the penal codes that make both chemical and surgical abortions
performed by a non-physician felonies and amend the Business and Professional
codes so that such "illegal" surgical abortions may be felonies or
misdemeanors at the discretion of the district attorney. The bill could allow
non-physicians to administer chemical abortifacients. Passed by the
Legislature, approved by the Governor.
SB
556 (Escutia), School health
centers - OPPOSE
This
Senate version of AB 1363 would expand school based health clinics in
California elementary and secondary schools which would provide direct primary
care medical services. This would include reproductive services offering
condoms, contraceptives, and abortion referrals to school children without
parental knowledge or consent. Died on file.
SB
1368 (Brulte), Child abandonment:
newborns - SUPPORT
This
Senate version of AB 1764 would absolve the parent of a child 30 days old or
younger from child abandonment if the parent voluntarily surrenders physical
custody of that child to an employee on duty at a police station, fire house,
social welfare office, child protective agency, or county hospital emergency
room. The intent is to dissuade a distraught mother from discarding her
newborn as trash. Passed by the Legislature, approved by the Governor.
SB
1827 (Haynes), Partial-birth abortion: ban - SUPPORT
This bill
would prohibit a person from knowingly performing or attempting to perform a
partial-birth abortion unless the partial-birth abortion is necessary to save
the life of the mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder,
illness, or injury. Failed passage in committee.
SB
1945 (Ortiz), Crimes: support for abortion rights - OPPOSE
This bill
would create an "antiabortion" crime category in the state penal
code and would require training of peace officers in enforcing laws against
such crimes. Antiabortion crimes are those defined by the federal Freedom of
Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which is already in effect in California.
Other provisions of this bill encourage witness anonymity at trials of
"antiabortion crimes", and require local law enforcement agencies to
report "antiabortion crimes" to the Department of Justice in a
manner similar to reporting "hate crimes".
Held in committee under submission.