Activists crowded a hall in the Nevada legislative building Wednesday, hoping to persuade Republican senators to revive a bill that would require doctors to notify a girl’s parents before performing an abortion on a minor.
Nevada Right for Life organized proponents to carry signs, stake out senators’ offices and confront lawmakers Wednesday to request a hearing for AB405. The bill passed the Assembly along party lines, but Republican Sen. Ben Kieckhefer said last month the bill is unlikely to proceed through the Senate Finance Committee he chairs.
The measure would require physicians to send a written notification to parents or guardians of a minor seeking an abortion, and it would require a 48-hour wait before the procedure. Girls could seek an exception through the courts.
Democratic opponents said the requirement would force girls to go to dangerous lengths to avoid revealing a pregnancy. Republicans in the Assembly initially tried to downgrade the bill into a study, saying it could cost the courts more than $2 million and should be reviewed more closely after the legislative session.
Anti-abortion advocates said they were frustrated the bill has been sidelined. They said Republican leaders would face consequences with voters if they didn’t bring it up for discussion.
“It will not end,” said Melissa Clement, president of Nevada Right to Life. “When the bill dies, I have nothing better to do but tell ... all the hundreds of thousands of people who can’t make it today who was in charge, how this didn’t happen.”
