According to The Spokesman-Review, Senate Law and Justice Committee chairman Mike Padden said the bill was part of lawmakers' "obligation to protect the most vulnerable among us." The bill, which is now being considered for a vote on the floor of the Senate, would enact penalties against abortion doctors who conduct sex-selective abortions.
Democrats say such abortions are not done in their state, and that the bill targets Asians and Pacific Islanders. The doctor-patient relationship could also be violated if doctors are legally required to ask whether sex was a reason for an abortion, according to Democratic state Senator Jamie Pederson.
The racial arguments from Democrats echo those made in 2012, when a similar bill was considered in the U.S. House of Representatives. That bill failed to gain a two-thirds majority in a special vote.
Studies cited by pro-life blogger Jill Stanek show that sex-selective abortions are taking place among people immigrating from several Asian nations.
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