When pregnancy results from rape or incest, destroying the evidence -- the fetus -- would become a felony in New Mexico. Women might need to wait six days before undergoing an abortion in South Dakota. And Mississippi would redefine the word "person" to apply to a fertilized egg.
Those proposals are among dozens of abortion-related bills that state lawmakers are set to consider in 2013.The November elections left Republicans in control of both legislative chambers in 26 states and with new majorities in Wisconsin, Arkansas and Alaska.That's emboldened abortion opponents to continue the momentum of the past two years, when a record 135 restrictions on the procedure were passed."We actually have states competing with each other to be the most protective in the country," said Dan McConchie, who oversees state lobbying efforts at Americans United for Life, a Washington-based anti-abortion group that helps lawmakers write bills. "No state has yet done all that's possible to do."Lawmakers often look to other states to see what restrictions are most effective.In New Mexico, Rep. Cathrynn Brown, R, introduced House Bill 206, which would have criminalized victims of rape and incest for tampering with evidence if they obtained an abortion.Brown withdrew the bill amid a firestorm of protest, and filed a modified version clarifying that the impregnated woman wouldn't be charged with a crime.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
