Republican-led States Move to Limit Reproductive Rights

By: Louise Radnofsky, Wall Street Journal
States are becoming increasingly polarized over abortion, as some legislatures pass ever-tighter restrictions on the procedure while others consider stronger legal protections for it, advocates on both sides say.
In March, Arkansas passed a law prohibiting most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, giving it the strictest laws against the procedure in the country. It was quickly surpassed by North Dakota, which last week banned the procedure as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.
The moves come after a record number of antiabortion bills were enacted in legislative sessions in 2011 and 2012, giving some states stricter regulation of the procedure including curbs on clinics and chemically induced abortions.
At the same time, Washington state is weighing a measure that would require all insurers doing business in new health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act to reimburse women for abortions. And New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is seeking to update his state’s laws to clarify that women can obtain an abortion late in pregnancy if they have a medical reason.
 
Read it at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324883604578394873113377806.html