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Parental Consent Bill Remains Stuck in House

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 March 2006, 12:00 CST

By Tom Searls, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.

Mar. 7--Democrats in the House of Delegates caucused Monday over threats to force a vote on a bill that would make it harder for girls under the age of 18 to get an abortion. They apparently emerged with their stance on the bill unchanged.

The bill (SB656) is in the House Judiciary Committee. Some delegates want to bring the bill to the House floor and force a vote, which they can do with a majority vote of all delegates.

After the frenzied caucus, several Democratic delegates who asked not to be named said the bill would remain in the Judiciary Committee.

"It took a long time and everybody expressed their views," said House Majority Leader Rick Staton, D-Wyoming.

Judiciary Chairman Jon Amores, D-Kanawha, said most Democratic anti-abortion delegates -- a majority of Democratic House members -- opposed the bill in the caucus, saying it went too far.

The bill would prevent physicians from signing a waiver that would let girls under 18 get an abortion without their parents' consent. Girls could still get a waiver from a circuit court or family court judge.

At the session's beginning, House and Senate leaders decided the House should move the legislation first. But House Democrats met in a private party caucus and decided they did not want to deal with the bill, so the Senate passed it instead.

Several Democratic delegates said at Monday's caucus only seven of their colleagues wanted to allow the bill a hearing. Many felt they had been misled by West Virginians for Life, the anti-abortion group lobbying for passage of the measure, they said.

Staton declined to say how the vote went.

Melissa Adkins of West Virginians For Life, aid her organization plans to try to go around the Judiciary Committee and will attempt to have the bill discharged to the House floor for consideration. That could happen as early as today.

Many believe if the bill makes it to the House floor it will pass. Most Republicans favor it and many Democrats fear it from a re-election perspective.

The House has rejected at least three attempts to circumvent the committee process and bring bills directly to the floor this session.

House Minority Leader Charles Trump, R-Morgan, said Adkins has not approached any GOP delegates about making such a motion. Instead, delegates expect a Democrat to make the motion to discharge the bill from committee.

Staton said the caucus "cleared the air" and ended some delegates' "confusion."

"People have a clear mind about what they want to do," he said.

Adkins said having Democrats meet behind closed doors to decide an issue is not the way the legislative process should work.

"We're not going to accept a secret vote that takes place behind closed doors," she said. "If they want to kill it, they can do it in public."

To contact staff writer Tom Searls, use e-mail or call 348-5192.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Charleston Gazette

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