Senate Panel Shoots Down Abortion Bill

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming State Senate committee has shot down a bill that would have required doctors performing abortions in the state to provide women with specified information.

The bill would have required doctors to tell patients that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer and causes the death of an unborn fetus.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-to-1 Friday against the bill, sponsored by Sen. Leslie Nutting, a Republican from Cheyenne.

Abortion rights activists testified against the bill, saying doctors already provide patients with information about medical procedures before they're performed.

Dr. Rene Hinkle, a Cheyenne obstetrician, testified that she had never seen scientific evidence that abortion is linked to breast cancer.

Bill supporter Bob Brechtel, a former state legislator, testified he believes hundreds of unreported abortions are performed in Wyoming.