The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that federal legislation requiring states to report abortion data is gaining support in Congress.
The bill is S.2585, the “Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act of 2019,” sponsored by Arkansas’ U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton.
The law requires each state to report botched abortions to the Federal Center for Disease Control in order to qualify for Medicaid funding.
This reporting could help the CDC gain insight into the number of botched abortions, and it would shed light on the effectiveness of state and federal pro-life laws, like Arkansas’ Born-Alive Infant Protection Act that protects babies from being denied medical care if they survive a botched abortion.
The bill now has a total of 13 sponsors in the U.S. Senate, and it has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.
Companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives has a total of 53 sponsors — including Arkansas Congressman Bruce Westerman.
