Iowa bill aims at Carhart (late term abortion)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald-AP

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Senate proposal would put new restrictions on late-term abortions by requiring that any Iowa facility offering them be in "close proximity" to a specialized hospital.

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, said requiring the clinics be close to a specialized hospital would protect the life and health of the mother and fetus. He concedes the restriction is designed to block a Nebraska doctor from opening a late-term abortion clinic in Council Bluffs.

The measure allows the Department of Public Health to regulate and license the clinics. In addition to all the requirements health facilities must meet, abortion clinics "will be located in close proximity to a hospital that provides the appropriate level of perinatal care."

Bolkcom says the requirement would block the Council Bluffs clinic. The issue could be debated Thursday in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which Bolkcom chairs.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20110512/NEWS01/705129758/0#iowa-bill-aims-at-carhart