Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed legislation Tuesday aimed at protecting abortion rights for out-of-state patients and in-state providers, making Nevada a “safe-haven” for those seeking the termination of their pregnancies.
Senate Bill 131 was signed into law by Lombardo May 30. It codifies an existing executive order from former Democratic Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak in 2022 that prohibited state agencies from assisting out-of-state investigations aimed at prosecuting patients who traveled to Nevada to receive an abortion, CBS News reported.
On Tuesday, Nevada’s Joe Lombardo became one of the first Republican governors to enshrine protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers. https://t.co/u82ShvDj6P
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 31, 2023
Though a practicing Catholic and pro-life himself, Lombardo stated during his campaign that on the question of abortion, he would listen to the will of the voters and uphold a 1990 referendum that codified the right to abortion up to 24 weeks in the state of Nevada, CBS News reported.
“It’s the vote of the people within the state of Nevada, and I will support that,” Lombardo stated at the time, according to another report from CBS News. “That is an issue that doesn’t need to be in politics.”
Lombardo is just one of two other Republican governors who have taken steps to ensure the right to an abortion is protected within their respective states. Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and former Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker each signed similar measures to ensure abortion access in 2022 following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. (RELATED: MURDOCK: Lindsey Graham’s Abortion Blunder Is A Gift-Wrapped Howitzer Shell To Dems Just Weeks Before Midterms)
“I’m glad to see Senate Bill 131 was signed by Governor Lombardo today, and I want to thank him for following through on his commitment to ensuring that Nevada won’t participate in prosecutions of women who come here to exercise their reproductive rights,” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro stated, according to CBS News.