Arizona lawmakers introduced two new pro-life bills this week. Republican Andy Biggs, the state Senate President, has introduced SB 1485, which would forbid government employees from using the state payroll deduction program to donate to abortion providers. Republican Senator Nancy Barto introduced SB 1474, which would prohibit selling, donating, or accepting an aborted fetus.
In 2014, Planned Parenthood received $7,410 from 48 state workers through the payroll deduction program. The state disqualified Planned Parenthood from the program last year, citing the abortion giant’s ongoing controversies. SB 1485 would extend that policy to any organization which performs abortions for reasons other than rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
“This is not a good organization,” said Governor Doug Ducey’s spokesman, Daniel Scarpinato. “Anything that would be in the same spirit” of its earlier defunding “would be something we would be inclined to agree with.”
Meanwhile, Center for Arizona Policy president Cathi Herrod, said that SB 1474 “simply ensures that aborted babies are not harvested or sold in Arizona. We are not making any statement about whether it is happening or not. We are just ensuring it doesn’t happen.”
