The Rhode Island House of Representatives passed the “Reproductive Privacy Act” on Wednesday night, with a vote of 45 to 29. The bill now goes to Governor Gina Raimondo for her signature.
An amendment proposed by GOP Representative Sherry Roberts that would require a fetus be anesthetized before an abortion failed with a vote of 49-24.
Earlier Wednesday night, the Rhode Island Senate passed the modified bill with a vote of 21 to 17.
The “Reproductive Privacy Act of 2019,” (H-5125 Sub B) had been transferred out of the Judiciary Committee by that committee’s chair Senator Erin Lynch Prata, who used a little known Senate rule to transfer the legislation to Health and Human Services after it became clear that the bill would not pass due to Morgan and Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere joining the committee to vote against the bill which would have defeated it in committee and prevented it from reaching the Senate floor.
