Sen. Bryant Richardson is a Republican serving Seaford.
Laws passed this year in the Delaware General Assembly help facilitate the death of unborn children and those who want to end their own lives but do away with the death penalty for those convicted of first-degree murder.
The following is a list of legislation passed this year that may have some people wondering why there is so much attention being given to the taking of human life:
House Bill 140
Despite bipartisan opposition to this bill, it passed with the minimum number of required votes in the House of Representatives and Senate.
The vote in the House was 21 yes, 16 no and four absent. The vote in the Senate was 11 yes and 10 no.
HB 140 says you have the “choice” to take your life when it is “no longer worth living.”
The sanitized view of suicide that HB 140 presents will change the ethos of medical care in Delaware. It easily leads to people feeling pressured to end their lives.
No disability groups supported HB 140.
House Bill 70
HB 70 will eliminate the death penalty in Delaware.
Delaware’s death penalty was punishment for premeditated murder; the murder of children, the elderly, pregnant women and law enforcement officers; and other specific instances.
Democratic Sen. Darius Brown of Wilmington, who lost a friend to murder, joined the six Republican senators to vote against HB 70.
House Bill 110
HB 110 forces Delaware taxpayers to fund abortion on demand through insurance.
Of course, this includes Medicaid insurance, which means the dollars of those opposed to the taking of human life will fund the deaths of the unborn.
Senate Bill 301
Senate Bill 301 requires public universities with a health center on campus to provide access to medication for the termination of pregnancy and emergency contraception.
The medication and contraception must be provided on-site, but consultation to provide them may be performed by a provider at the student health center or by a provider associated with a university-contracted external agency.
This act takes effect July 1, 2025.
House Concurrent Resolution 2
HCR 2 memorializes the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and declares abortion an “essential human right.”
Roe v. Wade cited the 14th Amendment as justification for abortion, even though that amendment contains the phrase, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property.”
The resolution passed with a voice vote in the House, while, in the Senate, 15 of the 21 senators voted yes.
Senate Bill 300
SB 300 requires pregnancy care centers to do the following:
- Provide on-site a notice in English and Spanish — and in each language that more than 10% of the overall population of this state speaks at home, as measured by the U.S. Census — if the center is not licensed by this state as a medical facility and does not have a licensed medical provider who provides or directly supervises, in person, the provision of services
- Such signs must be at least 11-by-17-inches and written in no less than 80-point type. The notice must be posted conspicuously at the entrance of the facility and in at least one additional area where clients wait to receive services.
This act also requires the Department of Justice to bring action to impose a civil penalty for a violation of it.
The civil penalty for the first violation is $500 and $2,500 for each subsequent violation.
No woman has been harmed by visiting a pregnancy care center. No child has died.
Women are offered free help and advice throughout their pregnancies and via parenting support programs.
When the California Legislature attempted to enforce a similar requirement, the U.S. Supreme Court found it unconstitutional.
Do these bills reflect your values? Are you pleased with the performance of your representative or senator?
You can check the voting records of your elected officials on any of these bills at legis.delaware.gov .
If you want to learn more about how to get involved in following your elected officials’ actions, please let me know, and I will help you understand the process.
The authority in our democratic republic comes from “we, the people,” and it is everyone’s responsibility to know more about who we are electing as lawmakers and how they are voting on the issues.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org .
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