Arizona House Approves Invasive Abortion Questionnaire Bill 

A piece of legislation (known as SB 1394), which would make it mandatory for hospitals and clinics to ask women seeking abortions about their reasons for wanting the procedure, passed the Arizona state House of Representatives on Monday.

The Arizona Star reported on Tuesday that the questions in the approved bill include whether the abortion is elective, due to fetal or material heath, whether the woman is a victim of sex trafficking or domestic violence, whether the woman became pregnant through rape or incest, and whether the woman is being “coerced into obtaining an abortion.”

Jodi Liggett, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona commented to Bustle about the new legislation, saying, “This is about making the abortion experience as shaming and degrading as possible for people, to thereby discourage them from following through with their decision. Nothing more.”

Democratic Rep. Athena Salman, from Tempe, was against the proposed measure, saying, “It’s none of the government’s business why a women is getting an abortion. This bill would intimidate patients, intimidate women who are seeking abortion services.”

Democratic Rep. Daniel Hernandez, from Tuscon, proposed expanding the list of questions to include two more: whether the woman had access to “adequate comprehensive sex education,” and whether the woman had access to affordable health care. Republican Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, from Gilbert, responded to Hernandez’s proposition with the following absurd reproval: “Sex education is not a health care issue. Having access to contraception is not a health care issue. It’s a pre-health care issue.” That’s some fancy logic! I’m pre-impressed and post-appalled.

The bill will now move to the state Senate, which will vote on whether to approve the House’s amendments.