CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) 鈥 Nevada's Joe Lombardo on Tuesday became one of the first Republican governors to enshrine protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers, adding the western swing state to the list of those passing new laws to solidify their status as safe havens for abortion patients.
The legislation codifies an existing executive order from former Gov. Steve Sisolak last year 鈥 who lost reelection to Lombardo 鈥 that bars state agencies from assisting in out-of-state investigations that could lead to the prosecution of abortion patients who travel to Nevada. It also ensures medical boards and commissions that oversee medical licenses do not discipline or disqualify doctors who provide abortions.
Lombardo, who describes himself as 鈥減ro-life鈥 and was endorsed by the 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Right to Life Committee, said on the campaign trail that he would respect the will of voters who codified abortion rights up to 24 weeks in a 1990 referendum vote. He was the only Republican to defeat a state Democratic incumbent in the last election.
鈥淚 want to thank (Lombardo) for following through on his commitment to ensuring that Nevada won鈥檛 participate in prosecutions of women who come here to exercise their reproductive rights,鈥 said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, who sponsored the legislation, in a statement Tuesday.
Lombardo is one of the only Republican governors 鈥 following and 鈥 to sign a law enshrining protections for abortion.
The provisions were a major flashpoint in one of the closest governor鈥檚 races of the 2022 midterms and became the latest reflection point for how Republican lawmakers and candidates navigate abortion policy debates in blue to purple states. Lombardo originally said he would repeal the executive order, but said months later he would uphold it, a reversal that Sisolak's campaign repeatedly emphasized. In February, he , which does not add any additional protections to Sisolak's executive order.
鈥淕overnor Lombardo made a campaign commitment to ensure that Nevada would not participate in prosecuting those seeking legal medical care in the state,鈥 spokesperson Elizabeth Ray said in a statement. 鈥淭oday, Governor Lombardo kept that commitment.鈥
Cannizzaro told The Associated Press last month that she was not aware of particular cases of outside states prosecuting women who have come to Nevada for abortions, but said that could happen with more restrictive laws coming from other states. She referenced restrictions approved in neighboring and .
Democratic-controlled states from to to have approved similar legislation to the one in Nevada.
Nevada鈥檚 state Senate advanced the legislation last month, with two Republican women joining Democrats in support of the bill. Following the vote, the Nevada Republican Party said it was 鈥渉orrified鈥 that the two voted for the measure, exposing an about how to handle abortion legislation in a post-Roe world. In other cases, that involves abortion access should be restricted. The Nevada GOP did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Tuesday鈥檚 signing.
Earlier this month, Nevada's Democratic-controlled Legislature advanced a resolution that would in the state constitution, which would make it much harder to repeal. After passing the 2023 session, it must also pass in 2025 before appearing in front of voters on the 2026 ballot. That process does not include the governor's approval.
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