West Virginia’s Senate last week passed a bill that would ban abortion pills from being mailed into or delivered to mothers in the state, closing a loophole that had allowed pregnant women and abortion pill providers to circumvent the state’s laws that regulate abortion and healthcare.
Similar to legislation initiated in other states, West Virginia’s Senate Bill 173 would impose civil penalties on companies that distribute abortion pills within the state, according to West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPublic). Penalties could include loss of a license for doctors who prescribe the pills or prison time for those who distribute the pills without a medical license. Pregnant women, their families, and fathers of unborn children would also be able to sue individuals or companies who procure abortion pills and cause an unborn baby to die.
According to Republican Sen. Chris Rose, the bill stops abortion pill providers from accessing women who have not consulted a physician or other medical provider before going through with an abortion.
He continued, “This bill adds teeth to our private laws to let them know that we will not tolerate out of state bad actors to disregard the sanctity of life that this body has preserved. We will fight from womb to the tomb to preserve every human being, and we will defend the constitutional rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, even for the unborn.”
The state Senate passed the bill 31 to 1 and now moves to the House of Delegates, according to WVPublic. Democratic Sen. Joey Garcia was the only one to vote against it, saying that the legislature should instead focus on being pro-life for children already born and living in the state.
“I do not think we are doing enough for those children who are living, growing, trying to be educated, trying to eat, trying to receive health care, trying to find a family, supporting the families that we want to live in the state of West Virginia,” he said, according to WVPublic.
The outlet reported that Republican Sen. Brian Helton said that the same concerns extend to unborn children as well.
“We do have children who want to grow, who want to eat, who want to live, who want to survive. And those babies in the womb are those children,” Helton said. “Those babies also want those same things, and they deserve those same things. Every human life deserves protection.”