Senate Bill No

Senate Bill No. 688
(By Senator Green)
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[Introduced March 23, 2009; referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources; and then to the Committee on the Judiciary .]
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A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §61-2-8a , relating to making it illegal to transport a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion without written consent by both parents; and providing for a misdemeanor penalty.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §61-2-8a , to read as follows:

ARTICLE 2. CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON.

§61-2-8a. Transporting a minor across state lines for an abortion; penalty.

     If any person transports a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion, without the written consent of both parents or the legal guardians of the minor, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000, or confined in jail not more than six months, or both fined and confined.

     NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to make it illegal to transport a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion without written consent by both parents, or the legal guardians of the minor. It also provides for a misdemeanor criminal penalty.

     This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.