LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS

2008

BILL 374-29 THE PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION BAN ACT OF 2008

Esperana approached then-Senator Eddie Calvo about introducing a bill to ban partial-birth abortion on Guam. Senator Calvo agreed and Bill No. 374-29 was introduced on 10/07/08. The bill passed and was signed into law as Public Law 29-115 on 11/18/08.

2009

BILL 54-30 THE WOMAN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INFORMATION ACT OF 2009

Esperansa approached then-Senator Eddie Calvo about introducing an informed consent for abortion bill. Senator Calvo agreed and introduced Bill 54-30, "the Woman's Reproductive Health Information Act of 2009" on 2/02/09. Bill 54-30 had a very difficult history and was ultimately passed in November 2010 but in a form that achieved the opposite of its intent. It was vetoed on December 13, 2010 by then-Governor Felix Camacho. The history of this bill can be read here.

2010

BILL 309-31 THE CHILD'S RIGHT TO LIVE ACT

Esperansa approached then-Senator Eddie Calvo about introducing a Born Alive Act which would require normal medical care for children which survive a failed abortion. Senator Calvo agreed and introduced Bill 309-30 on 1/6/10. After receiving a very supportive public hearing, Senator Frank Aguon, Jr., who chaired the committee to which the bill was referred and who opposed Senator Calvo in the 2010 gubernatorial elections (as a candidate for lieutenant governor), never reported the bill out of committee despite many inquires and requests by Esperansa. A history of the bill can be read here. (NOTE: In 2013, Sen. Aguon publicly apologized for stifling Bill 309-30 and introduced the the exact same bill as Bill No. 195-32, which he ultimately championed through the legislature and which was enacted into law on Nov. 27, 2013.)

2011

BILL 51-31 THE UNBORN CHILD PROTECTION ACT OF 2011

Upon becoming Governor of Guam, former Senator Eddie Calvo asked the legislature to introduce THE UNBORN CHILD PROTECTION ACT OF 2011 which was designed to prohibit abortion of unborn children capable of feeling pain (after 20 weeks). The bill was introduced as Bill 51-31 on 1/25/11. It received a supportive public hearing but was never acted upon. The lack of action was due mainly to the decision of Esperansa and Senator Dennis Rodriguez to focus efforts on a companion bill, Bill 52-31, which was strongly opposed by the pro-abortion forces within the Legislature. 

BILL NO. 52-31 THE WOMAN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INFORMATION ACT OF 2011

Upon becoming Governor of Guam, former Senator Eddie Calvo asked the legislature to introduce THE WOMAN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INFORMATION ACT OF 2011 which would require that a woman seeking an abortion be fully informed of abortion's risks and alternatives and require her written consent. The bill was introduced as Bill 52-31 on 1/25/11. The bill had a tortuous journey through the Legislature and required much effort on the part of Esperansa to see it through. In order to force a vote on the bill, Governor called for a special session on 10/24/12 during which the bill was passed. The bill was signed into law by Governor Eddie Calvo as Public Law 31-235 on 11/1/12. However, the new law's implementation was impeded by an 11th hour provision requiring the informational materials to be approved by the legislature. This provision allowed pro-abortion senators to support the bill just days before the general election and then keep it from ever being implemented later. A history of the bill up until this point can be read here. It took another year of legislative battles and another bill (Bill No. 193-32) to finally implement this Act. 

BILL NO. 323-31 THE PARENTAL CONSENT FOR ABORTION ACT

In September of 2011, Esperansa approached Senator Dennis Rodriguez, Jr. about introducing a parental consent for abortion act. Senator Rodriguez agreed and introduced Bill 323-31 on 9/30/11. While the bill was eventually passed and signed into law as Public Law 31-155 on 12/22/11, Senator B.J. Cruz, to whose committee it was referred, attempted to derail the bill by claiming that Guam law already required parental consent for abortion - a claim Esperansa refuted and proved to be false. Esperansa also encountered challenges with the local media who published false reports about the bill. The history can be read here.

2012

BILL NO. 409-31 UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ACT

Senator Frank Blas, Jr. introduced Bill 409-31, THE UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ACT on 1/9/12. The bill was written to criminalize acts in which an unborn child was harmed or killed during acts of violence against the mother. Esperansa supported the bill and worked extensively to address issues with the bill brought up the the office of the Attorney General at the public hearing. However, the bill languished in committee for nearly a year. At the urging of Esperansa the bill was finally reported out of committee and placed on the legislative agenda. It was voted down without debate or any attempt to amend the bill on 12/11/12. Here is the voting sheet. Related stories here, here and here. 

2013

BILL NO. 195-32 INFANT CHILD'S RIGHT TO LIVE ACT

After publicly apologizing for blocking a previous bill (Bill 309-30) requiring normal medical care for infants who survive a failed abortion, Sen. Frank Aguon, Jr. introduced Bill No. 195-32 on Sep. 25, 2013, and and quickly pushed it through the legislature. The bill was signed into law by Governor Eddie Calvo on Nov. 27, 2013 as P.L. 32-090. More can be read about this bill here, here, here, here, and here. 

BILL NO. 193-32 (IMPLEMENTED INFORMED CONSENT)

Introduced by Senator Dennis Rodriguez, Jr. on Sep. 23, 2013, this bill deleted the requirement for the legislature to approve the printed materials required by THE WOMAN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INFORMATION ACT. The requirement had been inserted at the 11th hour in the debate over the Act (Bill No. 52-31) as a way for certain senators to appear to vote for the bill just prior to the 2012 election, but be able to block it's implementation afterwards. The bill was passed and signed into law by Governor Eddie Calvo on Nov. 27, 2013 as P.L. 32-089. More can be read about this bill here, here, here, and here. 

2014

BILL NO. 412-32 GESTATIONAL AGE REPORTING REQUIREMENT

Introduced by Sen. Frank Aguon, Jr. on Oct. 14, 2014, this bill required abortion providers to include gestational age in abortion reports. Knowing the gestational age of a fetus at the time of abortion is critical to knowing whether or not the states' interests - as provided for in Roe v Wade - are recognized. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Eddie Calvo on Dec. 17, 2014 as P.L. 32-217. 

2016

BILL NO. 168-33 ABORTION REPORTING

Increased the penalties of non-compliance of abortion reporting law and added reporting mechanisms to better insure enforcement. Even though Guam has had a abortion reporting law since the early 90's, there was little to no compliance due to a lack of an enforcement mechanism. Without solid data, the issue of abortion could never be intelligently address. Senator Frank Aguon, Jr., introduced Bill 168-33 to address this problem on Aug. 31-2015. After a year of effort and two public hearings, the bill finally passed and was signed into law by Governor Eddie Calvo on December 15, 2016 as P.L. 33-218.

BILL NO. 231-33 UNBORN VICTIM'S OF VIOLENCE ACT

Introduced by Sen. Frank Blas, Jr. on Jan. 19, 2016, Bill 231-33 was Sen. Frank Blas, Jr.'s second attempt at criminalizing the harming or killing the child in the womb in acts of violence against the mother. His previous attempt was Bill 409-31 in 2012, which failed after it was deceptively unopposed in debate and then later voted down. Similar legislation has been aggressively opposed in several states because it recognizes the right to life of an unborn child. Having learned from the previous failed attempt, Sen. Blas and The Esperansa Project worked together to make sure this bill passed. It was signed into law by Governor Eddie Calvo on Mar. 4, 2016 as P.L. 33-132. Related stories here, here, here, and here.  

Public Law No.	Date Enacted	Name	Description	Original Bill No.	Sponsors	Date Introduced
P.L 29-115	Nov. 18, 2008	The Partial-Birth Abortion Act of 2008	“THE PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION BAN ACT OF 2008. "	Bill No. 374 (EC)	Sens. Eddie Calvo, Frank Blas, Jr., James Espaldon	Oct. 7, 2008
P.L. 31-155	Jan 4, 2012	Parental or Guardian Consent Required for Abortion	Parental or Guardian Consent Required for Abortion	Bill No. 323-31	Sen. Dennis Rodriguez, Jr.	Oct 5, 2011
P.L. 31-235	Nov. 1, 2012	The Women's Reproductive Health Information Act of 2012	Women’s informed consent required for abortion	Bill No. 54-30 & 52-31	Gov. Eddie Calvo	Jan 25, 2011
P.L. 32-090	Nov. 27, 2013	Infant Child’s Right to Life Act	AN ACT RELATIVE TO PROTECTING INFANTS WHO ARE BORN ALIVE AS A RESULT OF AN ABORTION	Bill No. 195-32	Sen. Frank Aguon, Jr.	Sep. 25, 2013
P.L. 32-089	Nov. 27, 2013	See description	Deleted the provision in P.L. 31-235 requiring the printed materials and the checklist certification to undergo the rule making process pursuant to the Administrative Adjudication Law.	Bill No. 193-32	Sen. Dennis Rodriguez, Jr.	Sep. 23, 2013
P.L 32-217	Dec. 17, 2014	See description	Requires abortion providers to include gestational age in abortion reports	Bill No. 412-32	Sens. Frank Aguon, Jr. and Dennis Rodriguez, Jr.	Oct 14, 2014
P.L. 33-132	Mar. 4, 2016	Unborn Victims of Violence Act	Criminalized harming or killing the child in the womb in acts of violence against the mother.	Bill No. 231-33	Sen. Frank Blas, Jr.	Jan. 19, 2016
P.L. 33-218	Dec. 15, 2016	See description	Increased the penalties of non-compliance of abortion reporting law and added reporting mechanisms to better insure enforcement.	Bill No. 168-33	Sens. Frank Aguon, Jr. and Dennis Rodriguez, Jr.	Aug. 31, 2015