New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a radical pro-abortion bill into law Friday, one that will keep abortions up to birth legal for years to come and could cause doctors and nurses to flee the state.
Grisham, a pro-abortion Democrat, thanked lawmakers for sending her the bill, claiming it will promote “equality for all,” according to NM Political Report.
“Anyone who seeks to violate bodily integrity, or to criminalize womanhood, is in the business of dehumanization,” the governor said in a statement. “New Mexico is not in that business – not any more. Our state statutes now reflect this inviolable recognition of humanity and dignity.”
The law that Grisham is championing actually destroys human rights and dignity for the most defenseless of all human beings, babies in the womb. A unique human being comes into existence at the moment of conception, and an abortion kills that human life.
The law repeals a 1969 New Mexico statute that prohibits abortions except in cases of rape, incest or threats to the mother’s life. The statute is not in effect because of Roe v. Wade, but now that it is repealed, the state will continue to allow unborn babies to be aborted for any reason up to birth even if Roe is overturned.
New Mexico is home to one of the few abortion facilities in the country that advertises abortions in the third trimester.
Pro-life advocates have warned that the law also jeopardizes the rights of medical workers because it also repeals the only conscience protections in the state. The now-repealed statute protected medical workers from discrimination if they refuse to abort an unborn baby on moral or religious grounds.
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Abortion activists immediately celebrated Grisham’s action Friday, calling it a historic victory for women.
“Now we can move forward with the real reproductive needs of our communities and break away from the shame and stigma that impacts people’s everyday reproductive healthcare,” said Adriann Barboa, with the pro-abortion group Forward Together/Strong Families New Mexico.
Pro-abortion Democrat lawmakers argued that the legislation is necessary because the new conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade.
Marshall Martinez, executive director of Equality New Mexico, framed the pro-abortion law as a matter of “respect and dignity,” claiming everyone “should have the autonomy to make decisions” about their bodies, according to the report.
But the law destroys the rights, choices and bodies of unborn babies as well as religious and moral freedom for medical workers who object to abortions.
Earlier this month, New Mexico Right to Life urged people not to be deceived by the pro-abortion lobby, which wants to “force [state] medical professionals to assist or even perform abortions up to birth, ‘through litigation, advocacy and public education.’”
During a debate in the state legislature, state Sen. Gregg Schmedes, who also is a medical doctor, warned that medical professionals will leave the state if the bill passes. He gave examples of doctors and nurses who lost their jobs, faced prosecution or were sanctioned in places where conscience protection laws are inadequate.
“As a medical doctor, I have heard from many of my colleagues that if they lose these vital conscience protections, they will consider leaving the state which would threaten healthcare access for many New Mexicans,” Schmedes said, according to the Los Alamos Reporter.
New Mexico Alliance for Life also pointed to a statement from state Sen. Jacob Candelaria, a pro-abortion Democrat, who admitted that medical workers should not be allowed to discriminate – meaning they should be forced to either abort an unborn baby or refer the mother to someone who will.
According to the Farmington Daily Times, Republicans introduced several amendments and substitute bills, including one that would have banned abortions on unborn babies after 20 weeks and another after 35 weeks. They also introduced a conscience protection clause to protect pro-life medical workers from being forced to abort unborn babies.
However, Democrats rejected all of them.
A few Democrat lawmakers joined Republicans in the state House and Senate in voting against the bill, while one Republican, who left the party this month, voted in favor of it.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the law will go into effect starting June 18.
