By Bud Shaver, ​Albuquerque, New Mexico — As Senate Bill 30  (SB 30)  heads to its first House committee hearing today, Abortion Free New Mexico (AFNM) says a clear pattern has emerged in New Mexico: when abortion-related oversight questions arise, transparency contracts rather than expands. “For years, whenever we uncover abortion-related injuries or raise questions about aborted babies used in medical research, the response isn’t investigation — it’s obstruction,” said Tara Shaver, spokesperson for Abortion Free New Mexico. “If there is nothing to hide, why is transparency always the first thing to go?” AFNM points to three areas where access to public information has contracted: emergency response records, university procurement documentation, and statewide abortion reporting data.…

By Bud Shaver, ​Albuquerque, New Mexico — In a 24–15 vote, the New Mexico Senate passed SB 30, repealing the state’s abortion reporting requirement. Notably, senior Democrat Senator Pete Campos voted with Republicans against the bill. SB 30 eliminates a statute that currently requires all abortions induced in the state to be reported within five days to the state registrar, either by the institution in which it was performed or by the attending physician if performed outside of an institution.​ The reporting requirement does not publish patient names. It exists for statistical, public health, and oversight purposes. Now it will be gone. At the same time, many of the same lawmakers advancing SB 30 have supported sweeping new…

Part Two

“If our claims were wrong, transparency would settle it.” — Tara Shaver