CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Anti-Abortion Bill Soundly Defeated

A measure to prohibit abortions in California after 24 weeks of pregnancy was soundly defeated in the state Senate’s health committee. The measure by Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita) would have allowed abortion after the sixth month of pregnancy only if the mother’s life were in danger, the fetus were seriously deformed or if doctors determined it couldn’t live on its own. Committee members didn’t even bother to hear testimony from about 20 people who wanted to testify against the measure, acknowledging that they already intended to vote against it. Not a single member voted for the measure, and five voted against it. “Thank you, and we enjoyed the presentation,” committee Chairwoman Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) told Davis. Charles Fennessey, a Davis staffer, later said the senator might reintroduce the measure next year, perhaps asking the Legislature to at least allow voters to determine the issue.