Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Arkansas Politics UPDATE: Rapert abortion bill tabled, political tension surfaces
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 3:17 PM
- Brian Chilson
- RAPERT
House Public Health Committee Chairman John Burris today moved for tabling of Sen. Jason Rapert's bill to prohibit abortions when a fetal heart beat is detected. The motion to table was approved on a voice vote. The bill would effectively prohibit abortions later than 5-6 weeks in a pregnancy and require virtually all women seeking abortions in the first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy to undergo an invasive transvaginal probe to see whether a heartbeat could be detected.
Burris said he'd prefer to set the matter for a special order of business later, so that all committee members could be present. Rapert asked whether a delay required a tabling motion.
A majority vote of a committee quorum is required to take a bill off the table, I believe. That could present a small complication for committee reconsideration because a "no" vote couldn't technically be called a vote against the bill. (Substantively, it would be.) There's some sentiment, even reportedly among a few of the reflexively anti-woman Republicans, that Rapert's bill is an overreach in the context of four decades of federal court application of Roe v. Wade. That ruling prohibits state bans on abortion before viability of the fetus.
This bill is a guaranteed loser in court and thus a waste of state money. Doesn't mean the Public Health Committee won't in the next few days vote to bring it up for consideration and pass it. The law on women's rights is held in low repute in Arkansas these days.
Meanwhile, Rapert has issued a lengthy statement about how unfairly he's been treated on account of the circulation of a speech he made to Tea Partyers in which he dog-whistled to that group's inherent hatred of Barack Obama and of religious and sexual minorities and to their xenophobia. His statement does at least finally admit the staggering breadth of his anti-abortion proposal. Like Rapert, I urge you to watch the entirety of his remarks and tell me it isn't the quintessence of a nativist demagogue at work. You can find links to the complete batch of videos here at a pro-Rapert website.
UPDATE: Developments. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said he had "concerns" about the legislation but stopped short of saying he couldn't defend the law if it passed. That's similar to Gov. Mike Beebe's earlier comments. Also, conservative commentators and at least one diehard anti-abortion legislator expressed unhappiness at Burris' motion to table the bill today. Radio commentator Dave Elswick said what's the big deal. There are lots of constitutionally suspect bills introduced! No s***. Complicated politics are clearly at play here, and they range beyond abortion to Rapert's sponsorship of Beebe's bill to end the sales tax on food and his hope of bringing some Republicans around to Medicaid expansion. All the pieces don't fit yet, but today's happenings would indicate tension on the Rapert bill, including within the Republican ranks. The 20-week abortion limit is heading to the governor. A six-week limit is looking more problematic.
Speaking of Abortion, Jason Rapert
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UA prof writes on the 'junk science' of 20-week abortion bans
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Appeals court strikes down 20-week abortion ban
May 21, 2013The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down the Arizona law that put a ban on abortions beginning with the 20th week of pregnancy. /more/
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Stormy morning: Shoffner, hospitals, abortion
May 21, 2013A morning report as Arkansas watches the stormy skies: * THE STATE TREASURER WATCH: Can Martha Shoffner really return to work today as state treasurer, overseeing billions in state investments, after admitting to FBI agents that she wrongfully accepted a pie stuffed with a cash kickback from a securities salesman she inordinately favored with state business? /more/
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Practicing law with Bro. Rapert
May 18, 2013Sen. Jason Rapert, author of the patently unconstitutional bill to ban most abortions in Arkansas at the 12th week of pregnancy, took heart yesterday at Judge Susan Webber Wright's indication that she was inclined to uphold the part of the law that requires women seeking an abortion in the 12th week of pregnancy or later to have an ultrasound and to be shown the results of that test. /more/
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Judge Wright issues injunction against abortion law
May 17, 2013The word from the federal courthouse is that federal Judge Susan Webber Wright has issued a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the new Arkansas law that was meant to bar most abortions at the 12th week of pregnancy. /more/
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Women's rights in court this morning
May 17, 2013Leslie Newell Peacock will be in federal court for us this morning for the preliminary injunction hearing on the lawsuit challenging the new state law prohibiting most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. /more/
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The death and taxes open line
May 16, 2013The line is open. Closing out: * THERE THE GOP GOES AGAIN: The Arkansas Republican Party is in all-out assault mode on U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, today pounding him for saying seven years ago that he supported permanent repeal of the estate tax (dishonestly called a "death tax" by the Republicans) but joining in recent bipartisan approval of what is now a dramatically lower estate tax. /more/
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Guns and fetuses: A legislative review
May 16, 2013Crazy Davy Carter, the House speaker who is a potential Republican candidate for governor, won headlines all over today for remarks at a legislative conference in Hot Springs that Republicans need to move beyond guns and abortion to focus on issues more important to average Arkies. /more/
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Judge refuses to dismiss suit challenging new 12-week abortion limit
May 15, 2013Federal Judge Susan Webber Wright has denied the state of Arkansas's motion to dismiss the ACLU-backed lawsuit challenging the new state law, passed over Gov. Mike Beebe's veto, to prevent most abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy. /more/
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