Healthcare Prof:

5 (1 votes)

The decision by the Madison Surgery Center’s board to offer second-trimester abortions at the center “appears to be legal and appropriate” as long as the procedure remains legal in Wisconsin and “as long as no state dollars is being used to perform such abortions,” a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial states. The editorial says that although abortions “should be rare, … they also should be safe and performed by physicians and staff who girls can trust. Madison Surgery Center can provide such service.” The surgery center is co-owned by University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Meriter Hospital and the UW Medical Foundation, and that has “stirred controversy” over the board’s decision, the editorial says. It notes that Wisconsin law prohibits the use of state cash to pay physicians or clinics for abortion services except in cases of rape, incest or to save the woman’s life. The law also prohibits hospitals from requiring employees to participate in abortion against their objections, the editorial says.

UW officials have stated that the center will abide by the law. In addition, any patient seeking a second-trimester abortion must offer full consent, agree to a 24-hour waiting period and receive counseling on alternatives to the procedure. The editorial says the steps involved in the process are “welcome and reasonable” to ensure that the center complies with state law. There’s “no doubt” that Madison-area females have sought out the service, as about “120 to 130 second trimester abortions have been performed annually in Madison,” according towards the editorial. It adds that the center decided to offer the service after another abortion provider retired. The editorial continues that second-trimester abortions “are a troubling concern, especially as science pushes back the border on when fetuses become viable,” adding that the procedures “should be rare.” However, second-trimester abortions “remain legal, and there are still cases in which girls will feel compelled to obtain one” — two facts that make the center “within its rights,” the editorial concludes (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/12).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the whole Every day Women’s Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Day-to-day Women’s Wellness Policy Report is actually a free of charge service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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Healthcare Prof:

The following summarizes recent women’s health-related blog entries.

~ “Elevating Maternal and Child Wellness and Family Planning Under the Obama Administration,” Maurice Middleberg, RH Reality Check: Although President Obama “took a huge first step” in addressing the well being needs of low-income women, children and families by repealing the “global gag rule,” it is “time to get to work on elevating what has been a stagnant American response on global family wellness and perform toward saving the lives of millions of ladies and children,” Middleberg, vice president of public policy for the Global Wellness Council, writes. The organization is developing a plan it hopes will “drastically reduce the more than 500,000 pregnancy- or childbirth-related deaths annually; the estimated nine million children who die each year … as well as the estimated 76 million unintended pregnancies every single year,” Middleberg writes. He continues, “Gender equity issues are of prominent importance for this initiative, and the U.S. should seek to advance health interventions controlled by females themselves.” Middleburg adds that Obama has “clearly stated” that the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals to reduce maternal and child mortality rates will be a focus of his presidency. “We have the tools for these laudable goals to be achieved, but the United States must provide much clearer and substantive leadership,” Middleberg says, concluding that in his early days in workplace Obama has “provided solid indicators that he will provide that leadership, and the civil society members with the global wellness community stand ready to help deliver the results” (Middleberg, RH Reality Check, 2/12).

~ “Antiabortion Fanatics’ New Invasive Attack: the Forced Ultrasound,” Bonnie Erbe, U.S. News and World Report‘s Thomas Jefferson Street: Females who seek abortions “do not need moralistic lectures about the horrors they are about the commit,” Erbe writes in a blog entry responding to proposed legislation in 11 states related to ultrasound requirements before a woman has an abortion. “To require them to have an ultrasound prior to an abortion is the most invasive type of moralistic lecture imaginable,” she says, adding, “Some state laws would even require poor ladies to pay for them, which would put the cost of abortion beyond their meager reach.” Erbe writes that females seeking abortions do not do so “unthinkingly” and that “[f]ew, if any, females use abortion as birth control, although the religious right would have us believe otherwise.” The “fanatics and activists” of the antiabortion movement have “already succeeded in throwing so numerous obstacles within the path of ladies trying to end unwanted pregnancies,” according to Erbe. She concludes that required ultrasounds “are a step too far” and “[o]ffered ultrasounds are insulting too. In my humble opinion, both are completely unconstitutional” (Erbe, U.S. News and World Report‘s Thomas Jefferson Street, 2/12).

~ “Anti-contraception Crew Still at Perform at HHS,” Cristina Page, Birth Control Watch: Page writes that that a $600,000 HHS grant to the Institute for Reproductive Wellness at Georgetown University Medical Center for research into natural family planning “aroused [her] suspicions.” She learned with the grant in a Georgetown student newspaper that indicated that the researchers plan to test strategies to remove barriers that prevent Title X recipients from using natural family planning. According to Page, “The goal is to integrate ‘natural family planning’ into the array of contraceptive services offered to Title X recipients,” She writes that the typical failure rate of natural family planning is 25%, adding that the figure is “of those dedicated 2% of Americans who even try it, a slim percentage who are most likely very religious and fervent in their belief” that the method works. Page continues that “a few Title X facts could come in handy,” such as that 70% of Title X clients are unmarried and 28% are teenagers. Page writes, “If natural family planning … doesn’t work within stable relationships, imagine how impressive the failure rate will be among the actively dating.” Page suspects that “[g]etting a prestigious university like Georgetown … to endorse natural family planning for the poor appears to be a slick way to make crisis pregnancy centers eligible for Title X funding.” She adds, “This is the Bush administration still at function, the very folks who lead the campaigns against contraception still at the wheel and driving funds to those who support their ideology” (Page, Birth Control Watch, 2/11).

~ “Challenging Oprah (Again) on Hormone Therapy,” Kurt Soller, Newsweek‘s Readback: Soller writes that two hormone experts, Pat Wingert and Barbara Kantrowitz, “took issue” with an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in which the talk show host discussed hormone replacement therapy with actress Suzanne Somers. Soller writes that the experts in a column point out several “things that Oprah and Somers did wrong,” including that they “downplayed the risks” of HRT, “failed to discuss cancer” and “encouraged a false fountain of youth.” In addition, they emphasized a “one-treatment-fits-all philosophy” on HRT, and “blam[ed] menopause for everything a woman may be going by way of.” Soller writes that Wingert and Kantrowitz’s column elicited a barrage of comments, “which have culminated in accusing the writers of being on the take from drug companies.” Soller writes that because of these “strong — and untrue — accusations,” he requested that Wingert and Kantrowitz respond with a clarification of their arguments, which he includes inside the blog post (Soller, Newsweek‘s Readback, 2/12).

~ “Access to Contraception Should be a Medical Problem,” Kathleen Reeves, RH Reality Check: Reeves writes that a bill under consideration by the Maine Legislature that would require parental consent for prescriptions issued to minors raises the question of whether teens “have the right to be healthy” or if they should “be subject to their parents’ rules.” Reeves says that “there is only so much that well-meaning groups, state-funded or otherwise, can do concerning the way parents relate to their children.” Reeves cites the 1944 Supreme Court case Prince v. Massachusetts in which the court ruled “‘parents may not refuse their children medical treatment on religious grounds.’” Courts have ruled similarly in other cases involving spiritual healing and the Church of Christ, Scientist, Reeves writes. She continues, “In the same way, opponents of comprehensive sex education argue that the government should not fund this type of education, when both abstinence-only education and condom-inclusive education have their merits. But inside the cases above, the court looked at one thing, objectively: the well-being with the child.” Reeves writes, “When access to contraception is politicized, the well-being with the young adult isn’t the primary concern,” adding that it’s a physician’s job to determine whether a contraceptive is safe. She concludes that minors should be allowed “to take care of their sexual well being the way the rest of us feel most comfortable doing it: in private” (Reeves, RH Reality Check, 2/10).

Antiabortion-Rights Blog

~ “Pro-Life Sea Changes Bring Hope,” Judie Brown, American Life League blog: Brown writes that it really is “healthy for the pro-life efforts when new ideas spring up and generate discussion about better way to save babies, educate Americans and otherwise move forward,” adding that this is “particularly true in the hostile climate that seems to have engulfed much of visible pro-life political activity these days.” Obama is “not the problem, really,” Brown writes, adding, “The folks who voted for him, maybe … are the ones we have to reach,” which will have to be “accomplished without the fanfare of political frenzy and media hype.” She continues that this would be best accomplished “with the steady, dedicated effort that introduces folks, 1 by 1, towards the actual horror of what abortion is.” In addition, Brown writes that “In the process of promoting all forms of activism, we need to be well aware that there is certainly much more to it than holding a sign.” She suggests that “we can and should teach the pro-life way of life, not only by what we say, but by how we live” (Brown, American Life League blog, 2/10).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the entire Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Day-to-day Women’s Health Policy Report is a free of charge service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) at a press conference on Wednesday responded to concerns about the e-mail campaign last fall that led to a wave of donations in her name towards the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, calling the campaign “great theater,” the Anchorage Day-to-day News reports. Planned Parenthood was not affiliated with all the campaign, which circulated by way of an e-mail from an unknown source although Palin was operating for vice president on the Republican ticket. The e-mail directed individuals towards the Planned Parenthood Net internet site to make a donation in Palin’s name. They could then send a card to Palin announcing the donation. Clover Simon, Alaska vice president of Planned Parenthood of the Fantastic Northwest, stated the e-mail generated more than $1 million for the organization nationwide, such as about $5,000 for the Alaska branch. When asked concerning the email campaign, Palin — who opposes abortion rights — said, “It’s political theater — it is great theater I guess for some.” She added that she and officials at Planned Parenthood “agree on a mission here that we’d like to see fewer and fewer abortions. And I, embracing the culture of life, have perhaps a various approach in how I would like to see that objective reached.” Palin’s office issued a statement later within the day, “The abortion issue has been with us for decades and has pitted well-meaning folks of differing ideologies against one another. Where we can locate common ground is in the belief that nobody desires a single abortion.” The statement continued, “But when there is certainly a clash of values, I always will come down on the side of life. Creating donations to Planned Parenthood in my name may be intriguing theater in these politically charged times, but it is not going to adjust my views or the views of numerous other Alaskans who believe every single life is precious.”

Simon stated that the “bottom line” is that the cash from the donations “is going to help women access birth control.” She added, “And I believe the governor would agree with that. The money is certainly not going to support abortion services.” Simon also stated, “Our goal is to hopefully work with all the governor. We certainly don’t want to have any sort of adversarial relationship with her” (Demer, Anchorage Everyday News, 2/11).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. It is possible to view the whole Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Everyday Women’s Wellness Policy Report is actually a cost-free service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

5 (1 votes)

The Roman Catholic Church’s postcard campaign to fight the Freedom of Choice Act is experiencing a strong response in the Chicago area, according to Catholic officials involved in the effort, the Chicago Tribune reports. The bill, if approved by Congress and signed by President Obama, would codify the abortion-rights protections in Roe v. Wade. Mary-Louise Kurey, director with the Archdiocese of Chicago Respect Life Office, stated about 150,000 postcards have been sent to the 364 Catholic Chicago-area parishes in the archdiocese, and she continues to receive requests from churches for a lot more postcards. Parishioners are given three postcards to sign, two of which are addressed to Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin (D) and Roland Burris (D) and one that is addressed towards the person’s congressional representative. The Tribune reports that more than 1,650 members of St. John Brebeuf in the Chicago suburb of Niles, Ill., mailed 4,900 postcards to their legislators, whilst 800 members of St. Pascal Church in Chicago mailed two,400 postcards. The Catholic Church launched the nationwide campaign Feb. 1 in coordination with the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment. The effort will continue through the end with the month. The campaign is one of the largest ever sponsored by the church, with tens of millions of postcards distributed to schools, churches and other Christian groups, in accordance with the Tribune.

Cardinal Francis George last month wrote a letter to all Catholic priests in Chicago asking them to preach about the issue of abortion along with the church’s opposition to it, as well as to encourage parishioners to take “pro-active measures” against abortion. The letter stated that though the Catholic Church “wants to work together with the new president along with the Congress,” it cannot “cooperate in any plan to remove all restrictions on abortion, to violate personal or institutional conscience clauses or to call abortion a human right.” Kurey said the response towards the campaign is due in part to the new administration and concern that antiabortion laws would be overturned if FOCA becomes law (Ramirez, Chicago Tribune, 2/13).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the entire Every day Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Everyday Women’s Wellness Policy Report can be a totally free service of the National Partnership for Ladies & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

President Obama’s stated intent to restore U.S. funding towards the United Nations Population Fund has reignited debate more than how China enforces its one-child policy, the Washington Timesreports. According to the Times, Obama’s committment to restoration of funding has “marked the most recent shift in a political seesaw that dates back to the Reagan administration and reflects the conflicting agendas of Republicans and Democrats.” Former President Reagan suspended funding for UNFPA, former President Clinton reinstated it and former President George W. Bush’s administration suspended funding once again. Obama has committed to reinstating the funding as one of his first acts in office. The Times reports that UNFPA, which works in far more than 140 countries, provides family preparing aid, promotes women’s rights and works to ensure access to reproductive wellness services. Abubakar Dungus, UNFPA spokesperson, stated, “The main priority of the UNFPA is to prevent ladies from dying giving birth in Africa, South America and Asia. That is our priority No. 1.” Dungus stated that Chinese residents have a right to loved ones planning services, adding that any links between UNFPA and abortion coercion have been discredited.

According to the Times, opponents of UNFPA assert that the group uses funds to support coercive abortion procedures under China’s one-child policy, a claim that is contradicted by U.S. and British government investigations. The antiabortion-rights group Population Research Institute in 2001 conducted a private investigation of UNFPA’s involvement with China’s household preparing program in the country’s Guangdong province. The group concluded that China’s program promotes forced abortion and sterilization as official policy over voluntary loved ones preparing. Based on the group’s report, women faced fines or punishment for refusing the procedures. Stephen Mosher, president of PRI, stated, “It’s very clear that the U.N. Population Fund is a cheerleader for the (Chinese family preparing) program,” adding that UNFPA “turns a blind eye to forced abortion and forced sterilization.” Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.), an abortion-rights opponent, added that the U.S. “[s]hould not help UNFPA cover up China’s crimes against ladies and young children.”

Other investigations of UNFPA’s involvement with China’s loved ones preparing program have led to different conclusions. A 2002 State Department investigation identified that despite the fact that China enforces population manage measures, UNFPA is not involved in implementing the country’s policies. A British investigation came to the exact same conclusion, the Times reports. According to UNFPA, the fund does not support or provide abortions. UNFPA officials also assert that the fund has helped encourage the Chinese government to adopt a policy promoting abundant and voluntary reproductive services, which has led to fewer abortions. Nafis Sadik, former director of UNFPA, stated that though China has not “officially rescinded” its one-child policy, enforcement of the regulation is rare, partially as a result of UNFPA’s efforts. Anika Rahman, president of Americans for UNFPA, said U.S. support for the fund promotes the rights of impoverished girls and has little to do with abortion. “UNFPA stands for the well being and dignity of females everywhere,” she said, adding, “We know that UNFPA’s work is lifesaving work” (Purple, Washington Times, 2/18).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. It is possible to view the entire Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Day-to-day Women’s Well being Policy Report can be a cost-free service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

The Washington Post on Wednesday examined how Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R) run for the vice presidency during the 2008 election and her hints at a possible presidential bid in 2012 have altered her relationship with local lawmakers and increased scrutiny of her policy positions, including on two antiabortion bills reintroduced in the state Legislature. Palin has expressed support for both measures, but there “have been no signs yet of any hard push from the governor’s office,” the Post reports. In accordance with the Post, state lawmakers from both political parties wonder if Palin will “feel compelled to invest far more political capital” in the two bills, “given her new stature amongst social conservatives who are urging her to run for president.” However, Joe Balash, one with the governor’s closest aides, said that is unlikely. He added that it would be “great if we could consider every concern in a vacuum, but we can’t. That doesn’t please everyone.”

According to the Post, Palin’s approval rating among Alaskan voters remains high at above 60%, even though it has dropped slightly since the election. A “number of elements seem to have contributed to the bumpy homecoming,” such as the economy, anger amongst Democrats for the “attack-dog role” Palin had in the election, possible anger amongst Republicans for the role she may have played in the defeat of running mate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and a “suspicion across party lines” that her advocacy for Alaskan interests “will now be secondary to her future in national politics,” the Post reports.

Meanwhile, Palin’s family members life “continues to make headlines.” In an interview with Fox News Channel’s “On the Record,” Palin’s 18-year-old daughter, Bristol — who gave birth in December 2008 after an unintended pregnancy — said that abstinence among teenagers is “not realistic at all.” Gov. Palin, who opposes abortion rights, supports abstinence-only education (Leahy, Washington Post, 2/18).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the whole Day-to-day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report is really a free of charge service of the National Partnership for Ladies & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

Continued reports of reproductive rights abuses have provoked increasing outrage amongst women’s rights advocates and advocates hope that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will address the violations when she visits China this week, London’s Sunday Times reports. According to the Times, Clinton is expected “to tackle Beijing on a broader range of concerns than the economics-focused approach taken by the Bush administration,” and she has stated that she plans to take a firmer stance on human rights concerns. During a 1995 women’s conference in Beijing, Clinton said that it was a “violation of human rights when ladies are denied the right to plan a family members,” which prompted anger from the Chinese government, the Times reports. According to the Times, the practices of forced abortion, sterilization and infanticide still persist in the country, despite some laws in place to restrict them. Some officials are “stepping up humiliating interventions” into women’s lives, reportedly using pregnancy tests and threatening financial penalties or job loss to pressure ladies to undergo sterilization, the Times reports. China’s 1979 one-child policy restricts urban familiesto one child and rural families to two young children, if the first child born can be a girl or disabled. Even though physical coercion of abortion or sterilization procedures had been banned in 2002, there are numerous reports in the Chinese media that the practices continue (Sheridan, Sunday Times, 2/15).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the entire Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Females & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

Glamour magazine in its March concern features an article examining how many ladies feel reluctant to discuss their personal experiences with abortion. Through interviews with counselors, medical experts and females who have had abortions, Glamour identified that many “agreed that females don’t discuss how they decided whether or not to end a pregnancy — how it felt and how they recovered, physically and emotionally; how they look back on their choice as time passes.” According to Glamour, “The result is that millions of women grapple alone with all the decision and the emotions that come afterward.”

Glamour reports that one in 3 women will have at least one abortion by age 45, and “these ladies run the gamut of ages, races, backgrounds and beliefs.” Deborah Oyer, owner and medical director of Aurora Medical Services in Seattle, stated, “I’ve seen every type of woman in my office, from Catholics to Muslims to mothers with 3 kids.” She added, “I have even treated someone I recognized — because I’d seen her before protesting right outside my clinic.”

Katherine O’Connell, an ob-gyn at Columbia University, stated, “We’ve gone from doctors advertising abortion services in the 1900s and ladies openly demanding the right to abortion in the 1970s, to a time now when some females can’t even admit to themselves that they’re having an abortion, much less tell their loved ones.” Glamour reports that the “culture-quaking political and religious debates” over abortion rights can make the problem “fee[l] too charged to discuss, even woman to woman.” Aspen Baker — co-founder of Exhale, a telephone help line for girls who have had abortions — said, “No one talks about abortion on a personal level — there’s too much stigma attached.” The article also includes a series of questions for ladies to consider in deciding whether to have an abortion (Welch, Glamour, March 2009).

Glamour on its Web site also features profiles of eight girls who had abortions and a set of frequently asked questions about the procedure (Glamour.com, 2/17).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the entire Daily Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Everyday Women’s Well being Policy Report can be a free service with the National Partnership for Females & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

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Article Opinions:3 posts
Pope Benedict XVI in a meeting at the Vatican with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday urged Roman Catholic politicians to protect “human life at all stages of development,” the New York Times reports. Pelosi, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, was “briefly greeted” by Benedict after his weekly public audience, in accordance with a statement issued by the Vatican. He also “took the opportunity to speak with the requirements with the natural moral law and also the church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death,” the statement stated. Benedict said that all Catholics, “especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society,” should “work in cooperation with all men and females of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development” (Donadio, New York Times, 2/19).

Pelosi stated in a statement that it was with “great joy” that she and her husband met with Benedict during their weeklong visit to Italy. She added that she had “the opportunity to praise the Church’s leadership in fighting poverty, hunger and global warming, as well as the Holy Father’s dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel” (Bendery, Roll Call, 2/18). Based on the Times, Pelosi “has been at the center of several contentious debates between the Catholic Church and also the American political establishment” because of her support for abortion rights. Last fall, U.S. bishops criticized Pelosi after she stated that church leaders have debated for centuries whether life begins at the moment of conception. Since the 2004 presidential election, U.S. bishops have debated whether to deny communion to Catholic politicians — such as former presidential nominee John Kerry (D-Mass.) — who support abortion rights (New York Times, 2/19).

Dave Gibson, author of “The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World,” said there was “something for both sides” in the meeting between Benedict and Pelosi. He added that when “Benedict talked about ‘a system of laws capable of protecting life,’ Pelosi can say ‘We Democrats do a better job of protecting kids and mothers.’” Gibson also stated that Benedict has previously given communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights without controversy. Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, praised Pelosi for highlighting social justice concerns in the meeting and said that the disagreement between the two was civil. He added, “These are issues that are important to a majority of American Catholics. The next time a bishop is talking wildly about excommunication, he should look at this exchange” (Soraghan, The Hill, 2/18).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the whole Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Everyday Women’s Well being Policy Report is actually a totally free service with the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

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Article Opinions:1 posts
The following summarizes recent news coverage of abortion-related legislation in Oklahoma and Kentucky.

~ Oklahoma: In a 20-2 vote on Tuesday, a state House committee approved a bill (H.B. 1595) that would prohibit physicians from performing an abortion solely on the basis with the gender with the fetus and require physicians to report certain information about abortions towards the state, the AP/Tulsa World reports. State Rep. Dan Sullivan (R), the author of the bill, said the legislation is intended to stop couples from obtaining abortions because with the gender of a fetus, despite the fact that he added that there’s no evidence that this practice has occurred in the state. A physician would be prohibited from performing an abortion if a woman specifically stated the gender with the fetus was the reason for the abortion, according to Sullivan. Sullivan also stated that the reporting provision of the bill would provide people in the state with detailed information about abortions that are performed. Under the bill, the state Well being Department would issue regulations stipulating what information physicians must report. Additionally, the department would publish annual abortion reports on its Web site and ensure compliance with all the law through periodic visits to places where abortions are performed. The forms for reporting would be available on the department’s Web site, and physicians would be notified of the reporting requirements. The bill now goes towards the full House (Talley, AP/Tulsa World, 2/17).

~ Kentucky: The state Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee on Monday approved a bill (S.B. 79) that would require a woman seeking an abortion to meet using the physician and undergo an ultrasound before the procedure, the AP/Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The legislation would require physicians or technicians to perform an ultrasound and explain the image although presenting it to the woman, who would be permitted not to view it, in accordance with the AP/Herald-Leader. Supporters with the measure say it would provide much more information to females looking for abortions, while opponents say it would enhance burdens to obtaining the procedure (AP/Lexington Herald Leader, 2/17).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the whole Day-to-day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Every day Women’s Well being Policy Report is really a free of charge service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.