UPDATED: ND Senate Passes Pro Life Bills

This post is updated with the votes of each Senator on each bill.

What also remains to be resolved is the impact of Sen Mathern’s amendment on SB 2303 ensuring medical coverage for mother and child. This amendment was obviously not offered by Mathern out of sincere concern for the mother and child, but rather as an attempt to throw a procedural wrench into the works in the hopes of tripping up this bill further down the road.

The ND Senate passed in their floor session today three of four pro-life bills. Bills that passed were:

SB 2305, which will require any doctor performing an abortion in the state to be licensed in North Dakota, to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of an abortion facility, and staff privileges to replace hospital on-staff physicians at that hospital. Two floor amendments were offered by Sen. Nelson and Sen. Triplett, both of which failed. Nelson’s amendment would have removed the requirement for Doctor privileges, and Triplett’s amendment would have required the establishment of a legal defense fund to cover costs incurred by any challenges to the law if passed.

This bill passed 30-17

YEAS: Andrist; Armstrong; Berry; Bowman; Burckhard; Campbell; Carlisle; Cook; Dever; Erbele; Flakoll; Grindberg; Hogue; Kilzer; Klein; Laffen; Larsen; Lee, G.; Luick; Mathern; Miller; O’Connell; Poolman; Robinson; Schaible; Sitte; Sorvaag; Unruh; Wanzek; Wardner

NAYS: Anderson; Axness; Dotzenrod; Grabinger; Heckaman; Holmberg; Krebsbach; Lee, J.; Lyson; Marcellais; Murphy; Nelson; Oehlke; Schneider; Sinner; Triplett; Warner

SCR 4009 is a constitutional measure which states “The inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected”.

This SCR passed 26-21

YEAS: Andrist; Armstrong; Berry; Bowman; Burckhard; Campbell; Carlisle; Cook; Dever; Erbele; Hogue; Kilzer; Klein; Laffen; Larsen; Lee, G.; Luick; Miller; Oehlke; Poolman; Schaible; Sitte; Sorvaag; Unruh; Wanzek; Wardner

NAYS: Anderson; Axness; Dotzenrod; Flakoll; Grabinger; Grindberg; Heckaman; Holmberg; Krebsbach; Lee, J.; Lyson; Marcellais; Mathern; Murphy; Nelson; O’Connell; Robinson; Schneider; Sinner; Triplett; Warner

SB 2303 defines, in criminal code, that a human being “means an individual member of the species homo sapiens at every stage of development”. One amendment offered by Sen. Mathern passed 32-15, which will ensure the health care needs of the mother and unborn child will be covered during labor and recovery; either through the extension of Medicaid eligibility, private insurance, or by the state if those programs did not fully cover the needs of the mother and child.

This bill passed 25-22. It was immediately referred to Appropriations due to the passage of the bill with Sen. Mathern’s amendment.

YEAS: Berry; Burckhard; Campbell; Carlisle; Cook; Dever; Erbele; Hogue; Kilzer; Klein; Laffen; Larsen; Lee, G.; Luick; Marcellais; Mathern; Miller; O’Connell; Robinson; Schaible; Sitte; Sorvaag; Unruh; Wanzek; Wardner

NAYS: Anderson; Andrist; Armstrong; Axness; Bowman; Dotzenrod; Flakoll; Grabinger; Grindberg; Heckaman; Holmberg; Krebsbach; Lee, J.; Lyson; Murphy; Nelson; Oehlke; Poolman; Schneider; Sinner; Triplett; Warner

SB 2302 failed 18-29. This bill concerned the ethical treatment of embryos, and would have also prevented the sale of eggs or sperm. Donated eggs and sperm would still have been allowed under this act.

YEAS: Berry; Burckhard; Campbell; Carlisle; Dever; Erbele; Hogue; Kilzer; Klein; Laffen; Larsen; Lee, G.; Luick; Miller; Sitte; Unruh; Wanzek; Wardner

NAYS: Anderson; Andrist; Armstrong; Axness; Bowman; Cook; Dotzenrod; Flakoll; Grabinger; Grindberg; Heckaman; Holmberg; Krebsbach; Lee, J.; Lyson; Marcellais; Mathern; Murphy; Nelson; O’Connell; Oehlke; Poolman; Robinson; Schaible; Schneider; Sinner; Sorvaag; Triplett; Warner

Like yesterday, a petition under Rule 320 was filed requiring a recorded vote for each bill and associated amendment.

While one bill did not pass, overall this was a very great day for the Pro Life movement in the state. The Senate is considered the tougher of the two houses to get through with such legislation, so a major challenge was successfully overcome with the passage of the three bills.