STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2985

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2282

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2282, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ABORTION CARE,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Clarify that access to abortion care is inclusive of all pregnant people in the State;

 

     (2)  Repeal a criminal penalty for violations of certain abortion provisions; and

 

     (3)  Clarify that advanced practice registered nurses may provide abortion care.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; Rainbow Family 808; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Hawaii, Guam, and American Samoa Section; Hawaii - American Nurses Association; Hawaii Public Health Association; Hawaii Women Lawyers; The KoLab; American Association of University Women; Save Medicaid Hawaii; Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates – Hawaii; AF3IRM Hawaii; and fifty-six individuals.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Board of Nursing and Hawaii Medical Board.

 

     Your Committees find that implementing safeguards and protections to equitable abortion access for all pregnant people in the State allows the individual to make their own decision about a significant, personal medical decision.  Both the federal government and the State have recognized the right to choose as a fundamental right of all people that must be protected.  However, there are certain gaps that exclude other individuals such as transgender and non-binary individuals who may need access to abortion care services.  Utilizing inclusive language to recognize the need for abortion care across the State affirms that all pregnant people would be allowed access to abortions based on personal choice.

 

     In addition to challenges against Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), recent developments in other states such as Texas and Mississippi show that abortion access is at risk for pregnant people across the country.  Historical and contemporary data show that where abortion is illegal or highly restricted, pregnant people may resort to unsafe means to end an unwanted pregnancy, including self-inflicted abdominal and bodily trauma, ingestion of dangerous chemicals, and reliance on unqualified providers.  Pregnant people of low socioeconomic status, who live in rural and remote areas, or who are young or a member of the LGBTQ community are more likely to be harmed by gaps in access to safe abortion care.  Black, Latino, native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations are also more likely to experience a lack of abortion care due to generational systemic racism.  To continue the Legislature's support of equal rights for Hawaii's people regardless of race, gender, and sexual preference, it is imperative that abortion access is safe and available for anyone who chooses to access abortion care services.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2282, S.D. 1, and recommend that it pass Third Reading.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary,

 

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair

 

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair