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California and Federal Legislation

2009-2010 Legislative Session

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Each year, there are bills that impact "life" issues both on the Federal and State levels. We provide a summary and status of some of those bills below.

This page was last updated March 1, 2010.

California Legislation

POSITION
NAME
KNOWN AS SUMMARY STATUS
Support
Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program Requires the Department of Public Health to establish a program to collect and store the umbilical cord blood to be used for transplantation and research. 6/26/09:
In Health Commuttee. Hearing canceled at request of author.
 
     
Support Child Protection: Safe Surrender Expands the newborn safe-surrender time from 72hrs to 30 days. 09/11/09:
Moved to inactive file on motion of Senator Romero.
 
     
Oppose Education: Stem Cell Research Directs all education policymakers, including the State Department of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Board of Education, and all other institutions of public education, including postsecondary schools, should collaborate to help the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine advance its education initiatives.

10/11/2009:
Signed into law by Governor.

         

Federal Legislation- 111th Congress (January 3, 2009 - January 3, 2011)

For Informaton on the bill, please click on the bill number.
For latest status of the bill, please click on the included status.

POSITION
NAME
KNOWN AS SUMMARY STATUS  
Support
Abortion Non-Discrimination Act Prohibits health care providers from being penalized for declining to participate in providing abortions. 1/06/09:
Read twice and referred to Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
 
         
Support
Title X Exclusion on Abortion Providers Prohibits funds under Title X family planning program from going to grantees that perform abortions (except the save the life of the mother).

S.85: 1/06/09:
Read twice and referred to Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

H.R.614: 1/21/09:
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

 
         
Support
Prohibition on Funding Overseas Abortion-promoting Organizations (Mexico City Policy) Prohibits U.S. foreign aid funds from going to organizations that perform or promote abortion as a method of family planning overseas. 1/27/09:
Referred to House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
 
         
Support
Ultrasound Informed Consent Act Requires that, before performing an abortion, an abortionist must perform an ultrasound and must display the images so that the woman seeking the abortion has an opportunity to view them. 1/22/09:
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
 
         
Support
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act Requires an abortionist to notify a parent before performing an abortion on a minor who is a resident of another state. Makes it a federal offense to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion unless the parental notification requirement of the home state are met. 6/12/2009:
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties (House Committee on the Judiciary).
 
         
 

Oppose

Elimination of Pro-Life "Conscience" Regulation Nullifies the pro-life "conscience" regulation that shielded healthcare providers for being penalized if they refuse to participate in providing abortions.

1/15/09:
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

March 10, 2009:
President Obama published formal notice that he intends to rescind the regulation, even without the passage of this bill.

 
         
Support
Informed Choice Act Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to certain nonprofit tax-exempt community-based pregnancy help medical clinics for the purchase of ultrasound equipment. The grant would cover 50% of the cost of the ultrasound machine (up to $20,000). 1/06/09:
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
 
         
Oppose
H.R.22 Urging Ratification of CEDAW Urges the U.S. Senate to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which is interpreted to condemn various pro-life laws. 1/06/09:
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
 
         
Oppose
S.487 Federal Funding for Embryo-destructive stem-cell research Mandates federal funding of the type of stem cell research that requires the killing human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells. 2/26/09:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
 
         
Support
H.R.1050 Stupak-Wamp Human Cloning Prohibition Act Prohibits the creation of human embryos by cloning.

3/16/09:
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security (House Committee ont he Judiciary).

 
         
Support
H.R.877 Patients First Act Promotes federal funding of ethical forms of stem cell research. 2/04/09:
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
 
         
Support
H.R.636 Positive Alternatives Act Authorizes state to use federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds to provide alternative-to-abortion services to women and their babies. 1/22/09:
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
 
           
Oppose
Equal Rights Amendment (w/no abortion-neutral clause) If approved and ratified, the constitution would be amended to state that no rights can be denied because of sex. Without an abortion-neutral clause, this can be used to overturn abortion laws. 10/19/09:
Referred to Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
 

 

For past sessions, please click on the legislative session below: