House Rules chairman says abortion bills unlikely to leave committee
By
Posted 5:21PM on Tuesday, January 21, 2003
ATLANTA - The state's House Rules Committee chairman says he'll make it hard for any anti-abortion bill to get out of his committee for a full vote. <br>
<br>
Democratic Representative Calvin Smyre of Columbus made the announcement Tuesday - the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to legalize abortion. <br>
<br>
The Rules Committee controls the flow of bills to the full House. <br>
<br>
Activists have already been concerned about a handful of bills introduced this session on abortion. <br>
<br>
One - introduced by Republican Representative Bobby Franklin of Marietta - would require a ``death warrant'' signed by a judge before a doctor could perform an abortion. <br>
<br>
No one expects that to pass. But some fear it's just a ploy to make subsequent anti-abortion bills seem less threatening.