Sisolak signs Nevada bill repealing abortion crime statute

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Physicians will no longer be required to tell a pregnant woman about the “emotional implications” of an abortion under a law signed by Nevada’s Democratic governor.

Gov. Steve Sisolak signed the measure on Friday. The legislation also repeals a requirement that physicians document a pregnant woman’s marital status and removes a criminal penalty for anyone who supplies a woman with medication to induce an abortion without the advice of a physician.

The repealed criminal statute extended to anyone who uses an “instrument” to terminate a pregnancy without the advice of a physician.

Sisolak’s signature bucks a national trend toward restrictive abortion laws.

The governor expressed disappointed by those laws in other states, but says the Nevada bill reaffirms the state’s commitment to protecting reproductive freedom.