Burlington, Vt., May 13, 2019 / 14:00 pm
Legislators in Vermont have passed new measures to enshrine unrestricted abortion access in to law at any time for any reason during a pregancy. The legislature also advanced a measure that would make abortion a constitutional right.
As of Friday, H. 57, "An act relating to preserving the right to abortion," passed both the state House and Senate. The bill seeks to "recognize as a fundamental right the freedom of reproductive choice and to prohibit public entities from interfering with or restricting the right of an individual to terminate the individual's pregnancy."
The bill, which would protect abortion at any time during pregnancy for any reason, won large majority votes in both chambers of the legislature. In the House, it passed by 106-37, and 24-6 in the Senate.
The state's governor, Gov. Phil Scott (R), has said that he supports legislation that would preserve a woman's right to an abortion. It is unclear if he will sign this particular bill. If signed, the bill will go into effect upon passage.