Arizona bill passes allowing abortion clinic snap inspections

By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona lawmakers gave final passage on Wednesday to a bill that would allow state health authorities to conduct surprise inspections of abortion clinics without first obtaining a warrant, handing another legislative victory to abortion foes. The Republican-backed bill, which passed the state Senate on a 17-13 vote and now goes to the governor, would remove a provision in law state requiring a judge to sign off on any surprise inspections conducted at the nine clinics in Arizona licensed to perform abortions. "This is not about pro-life or pro-choice at this point," said Senator Nancy Barto, a supporter of the bill. "What it is about is protecting the lives of women and children." Barto, a Phoenix Republican, said that abortion clinics should be subject to the same level of oversight as other medical facilities and that requiring court-approved warrants for unannounced health inspections could delay such scrutiny.



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