Republican Nevada governor signs abortion protections legislation

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo on Tuesday became one of the first Republican governors to sign a bill protecting access to abortion for out-of-state patients and in-state providers.  

Lombardo, who ousted Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak as Nevada governor last year, signed legislation Tuesday that codifies a Sisolak executive order banning state agencies from helping out-of-state investigations into abortion patients who are from a different state. The bill will also make sure that medical governing boards and commissions do not discipline those who provide abortions.

The Associated Press reported that Lombardo vowed on the campaign trail to respect a 1990 referendum vote that enshrined the right to an abortion up to 24 weeks.

Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D), who sponsored the bill, applauded Lombardo for sticking to his campaign promises.  

“Today, #SB131 was signed by Governor Lombardo,” she said in a tweet, adding, “I want thank him for following through on his commitment to ensure that Nevada won’t participate in prosecutions of women who come here to exercise their reproductive rights.”

Two Republican women also joined Democratic state lawmakers in voting for the bill, a move that the Nevada GOP said it was “horrified” by. Earlier this month, the Democratic-led state Legislature also advanced a resolution that would codify abortion rights up to 24 weeks in the state constitution, the AP reported.  

Lombardo was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee and was the only Republican to defeat a state incumbent Democrat in the 2022 election.

He joins only a handful of other Republicans who have signed legislation protecting abortion access, including Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, according to an AP analysis.