BRISTOL — As was the case at last week’s Legislative Breakfast, abortion legislation was a hot topic at this Monday’s Legislative Breakfast in Bristol.
Folks weighed in on H.57, a bill that would recognize reproductive choice as a “fundamental freedom” and would keep public entities from interfering with, or restricting, a woman’s right to end her pregnancy.
“This bill does nothing to change what is allowed under current Vermont and federal law and has been practiced for the past 46 years,” said Rep. Mari Cordes, D-Lincoln.
Father Luke Austin of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Middlebury said he believed H.57 would give unborn children less protections than cats and dogs are afforded through Vermont’s animal cruelty statute.
“Please let me know if I’m misreading that,” Austin said.
New Haven resident Dan Monger echoed Austin’s viewpoint.
H.57 “makes it very clear that no egg, embryo or infant has any rights in the state of Vermont,” he said.
Monger said he hopes federal officials restrict abortion, as President Donald Trump recommended in his recent state of the union address.
“I have a feeling that the federal government is going to ‘Trump’ this whole issue,” he said.
H.57 appears to have more than enough votes to pass in both the Vermont House and Senate.