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Four New Anti-Choice Bills Introduced in U.S. Senate

Louisiana Sen. David Vitter introduced bills to defund Planned Parenthood and require admitting privileges, among other anti-choice measures.

Louisiana Sen. David Vitter introduced bills to defund Planned Parenthood and require admitting privileges, among other anti-choice measures. Shutterstock

Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) this week introduced four new anti-choice bills in the Senate, including a measure to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level.

Vitter, who was once at the center of a massive prostitution scandal and has announced plans to run for governor of Louisiana this year, is also no stranger to attacks on reproductive health. His latest bills are similar to legislation that has been introduced in previous sessions of Congress and on the state level.

Vitter’s proposed requirement that abortion providers obtain admitting privileges with a local hospital would likely close many safe, legal clinics for no sound medical reason, which has already happened in Texas and other states.

His proposed ban on sex-selective abortions is one that reproductive rights activists decry as being both unnecessary and racist.

And under the guise of “non-discrimination,” another bill would allow health-care providers to refuse women abortion care even in cases of emergency.

Combined with the U.S. House’s speedy introduction of a national 20-week abortion ban bill on Tuesday, Republican legislators introduced a total of five anti-choice bills in the first three days of the new Congress.

These aggressive moves sharply contrast with the promises of the midterm election campaign, when many conservative candidates downplayed their anti-choice views, misled about their views of abortion and contraception access, and scoffed at the idea of a “war on women.”

“Congress has only been back for a couple of days, and already some politicians are trying to take women backwards and restricting their access to the health care that helps them and their families succeed,” Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement.