Abortion bills favored

Two bills that would restrict — or at least impose increased conditions on — abortions in Utah have strong public support, according to the results of a new Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll.

And the more controversial of the two measures, HB222, received the greatest support in the recent survey by Dan Jones & Associates.

Sixty-four percent of the 415 people surveyed favor a requirement that physicians who perform abortions at 20 weeks or later inform women that the procedure may cause pain to the fetus. Thirty percent of respondents opposed the legislation.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, would also require the doctor to tell women about pain relief options for the fetus.

HB222 easily passed the House, but hit a snag in a Senate committee after testimony revealed no consensus in the medical community as to the age when fetuses begin to feel pain.

Opponents also have noted that doctors and anesthesiologists in Utah are not trained to provide pain relief to a fetus.

But Ray said this week the recent poll numbers speak to the public sentiment behind his bill.

"It sends a message, I think, to the Senate," he said.

As of Monday, Ray had not yet made changes suggested by Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, such as eliminating references to specific medical procedures now contained in HB222.

And with Wednesday being the last day to bring bills before legislative committees, Ray said he would have to "take his chances" that the Senate Rules Committee would send HB222, as written, to the floor for debate.

A second abortion bill waiting for a hearing by the full Senate is HB85, which would require physicians to get parental consent before performing the procedure on a girl younger than 18.

Public support for that measure is a little more even, with 54 percent in favor and 43 percent opposed. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.

State law now requires parental notification 24 hours in advance of the procedure, but does not allow a parent to veto the procedure. Sponsoring Rep. Kerry Gibson, R-Ogden, has portrayed HB85 as a parental rights bill, saying it "puts the decision back where it needs to be, which is at home, in the living room, with the families."

In 2004, 10 girls under the age of 15 had abortions in Utah and 148 girls aged 15 to 17 received abortions, according to the Utah Department of Health.

HB85 has passed the House and is on the list for a debate before the full Senate.

Both Ray and Gibson have acknowledged their measures are aimed at reducing the number of abortions in Utah.

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com