Abortion bill heads to House floor

SANTA FE — A proposal to repeal a 1969 anti-abortion law has cleared the House Judiciary Committee.

The legislation, Senate Bill 10, could be taken up by the full House later this week, the last step necessary to send the measure to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has made its passage a priority.

The proposal would repeal a state law that makes it a crime to end a pregnancy, except in certain circumstances. It’s largely unenforceable because of Roe v. Wade.

Rep. Micaela Lara Cadena, a Mesilla Democrat who presented the bill Monday, said the measure “really is saying that we trust New Mexicans to make these decisions for themselves.”

Republican lawmakers argued that New Mexico should ban late-term abortions.