Abortion bill heads to governor despite privacy concerns

AP — A proposal that would increase reporting requirements for abortion providers is headed to the Idaho governor's desk for his consideration despite some opponents decrying the bill as an invasion of privacy. The measure cleared the Senate on a 21-14 vote Wednesday after several hours of debate, with critics calling it "invasive.''

Some of the personal information required in the proposal is already collected by the state's health and welfare agency, but under the bill it would be required by law to report details such as woman's age, race, how many children she has, if any of their children have died and how many abortions they've had in the past.

"I find this bill very invasive,'' said Sen. Shawn Keough, a Republican from Sandpoint and co-chair of the budget-setting panel. "My record is 50-50 on abortion bills, which is well known, but this one is going to cost us a lot of money.'' For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper's online edition.