The Nevada Legislature passed a radical pro-abortion bill Monday that pro-life leaders warn would protect human traffickers and abusers who bring underage girls across state lines for secret abortions.
Nicknamed the “Abortion Traffickers Protection Act” by Nevada Right to Life, state Senate Bill 131 passed the state Assembly on Monday in a 27-14 party-line vote and now heads to the desk of Gov. Joe Lombardo.
The Nevada Current reports the governor has five days to act on the bill, and he is facing intense pressure from pro-abortion groups to sign it.
Although Lombardo is a Republican, he is not solidly pro-life. In February, he told KNPR that he may support the bill “if it stands on its own” and does not change any other state abortion laws.
“This particular item involving abortions, I could support if it stands on its own,” he told the radio station.
The lead sponsor, Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, says the bill simply would codify an executive order that former Gov. Steve Sisolak, a pro-abortion Democrat, issued last year to ban state authorities from helping pro-life states with the investigation and prosecution of illegal abortion practices in their states, according to the Associated Press.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and urge him to veto the bill.
Many states require parental consent or parental notification before their underage daughter has an abortion, and Nevada Right to Life, the leading state pro-life organization, said the bill really would protect abusers who bring underage girls to Nevada to abort their unborn babies.
“SB131 would protect predators and bad actor adults who transport minor girls to Nevada for secret abortions without parental notification or consent,” the pro-life organization said. “What type of adult secretly transports someone else’s child to Nevada for a surgical procedure? Should Nevada protect those types of people?”
Abortions are legal for any reason up to 24 weeks in Nevada, and the situation is unlikely to change with the Democrats controlling the state legislature. This spring, lawmakers also advanced a state constitutional amendment that would make it more difficult for voters and lawmakers to pass protections for unborn babies in the future.
Pro-lifers are concerned that Nevada will become a destination state for abortions. The neighboring states of Arizona and Utah are fighting in court to enforce their laws protecting unborn babies, and Idaho already protects unborn babies by banning elective abortions.
In 2020, 8,633 abortions were reported in Nevada, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and urge him to veto the bill.
