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Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo on Tuesday became one of the first Republican leaders in the United States to guarantee protections for out-of-state women who get an abortion and for those who perform it on his territory.
The legislation incorporates an existing executive order issued last year by former Gov. Steve Sisolak, who lost re-election to Lombardo, that prohibits state agencies from assisting in interstate investigations that could lead to prosecutions of patients traveling to Nevada for abortions.
In addition, it ensures that the medical boards and commissions that oversee the licenses of doctors do not discipline or disbar their practitioners.
Lombardo, who defines himself as “pro-life” and received the endorsement of the National Committee for the Right to Life, said during the campaign that he would respect the will of the voters who established the right to abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation in a referendum in 1990.
He was the only Republican to defeat an incumbent Democratic governor in the last election.
“I want to thank (Lombardo) for honoring his commitment and ensuring that Nevada will not participate in the persecution of women who come here to exercise their reproductive rights,” said state Senate Democratic Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, who sponsored the legislation, in a statement Tuesday.
Lombardo is one of the few Republican governors, along with Vermont Governor Phil Scott and former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, to sign legislation enshrining abortion protections.
States with a Democratic majority, from California to Colorado or Rhode Island, have approved measures similar to that of Nevada.
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