LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada will be a safe haven for abortion rights under a bill that received initial approval on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 131 (SB131) received bipartisan approval in the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, and will now go to the Senate floor for consideration.
The bill would make it illegal for state agencies to cooperate with other states in the prosecution of women who come to Nevada for abortions. Nevada law currently protects a woman’s right to an abortion even though the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade — the federal case that established abortion rights.
The bill must win approval from the Senate and Assembly before it would make it to Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo’s desk.
SB131 prohibits discipline against health care professionals who provide abortions. Also, it stops issuing an arrest warrant for a person who has been charged in another state in connection with an abortion. State agencies would not be allowed to assist in such investigations.
Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) is the primary sponsor of the bill, along with four other Democratic senators. A list of 36 Democrats cosponsored the bill.
Republican Senator Carrie Buck joined Democrats in passing the bill to the full Senate for consideration, but two other Republicans — Jeff Stone and Scott Hammond — voted against the bill.
