LIFE DIGEST: Virginia can tighten clinic oversight, A.G. says
- Aug 24, 2010 -
Virginia’s government is able to enforce stronger restrictions on abortion clinics in the state, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said in a legal opinion released Aug. 20.
Cuccinelli’s legal analysis was a setback for abortion providers, but an advance for pro-lifers who have long sought to hold abortion clinics to standards they believe are required for a procedure that not only takes the lives of unborn babies but results in injury and death to an unknown number of women.
Also in this edition: Almost half of voters say abortion too easy, Another study shows abortions associated with premature births, and Iowa board urged to end ‘telemed’ abortions.
The opinion permits, but does not require, the state’s Board of Health to issue regulations on abortion clinics that would be similar to those mandated for hospitals.
Responding to requests from two state senators, Cuccinelli concluded in his opinion that Virginia “has the authority to promulgate regulations for facilities in which first trimester abortions are performed as well as providers of first trimester abortions, so long as the regulations adhere to constitutional limitations.”
Abortion providers expressed concern many of the state’s clinics will be unable to afford the changes that could be required if the regulations outlined by Cuccinelli are enforced. NARAL Pro-choice Virginia said 17 of the state’s 21 abortion clinics likely would close under such a scenario.
“These so called regulations are only an attempt to shut down abortion clinics” in Virginia, said Tarina Keene, NARAL Pro-choice Virginia’s executive director, according to The Washington Post.
One of the senators who sought Cuccinelli’s opinion, Republican Sen. Ralph Smith of Roanoke, said the attorney general’s guidance “clarifies any legal questions on the issue and sets the stage for regulating abortion clinics like other medical facilities.” Smith said, The Post reported.
Abortion clinics now are regulated the same as offices for oral or plastic surgery, according to the newspaper. Pro-life members of the legislature have sought but failed to pass bills for several years that would require abortion clinics to abide by mandates similar to those now placed on hospitals.
“The state has long regulated outpatient surgical facilities and personnel to ensure a certain level of protection for patients. There is no reason to hold facilities providing abortion services to any lesser standard for their patients,” said Brian Gottstein, the attorney general’s director of communications, in an Aug. 23 written statement.
In his opinion, Cuccinelli relied in part on a 2000 decision by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling upheld a South Carolina law that regulated abortion clinics regarding such subjects as licensing, equipment, reporting, emergency plans and construction requirements.
Almost half of voters say abortion too easy
Nearly half of the voters continue to believe it is too easy to obtain an abortion in the United States, according to a recent survey by Rasmussen Reports.
The poll, released Aug. 16, found 48 percent of American voters believe an abortion is too easily procured, while 23 percent think the degree of difficulty is about right and 14 percent feel it is too difficult. Fourteen percent said they are unsure.
The results were largely consistent with what Rasmussen has found for the last four years. In 2007, 45 percent said it was too easy to get an abortion. That poll, however, showed 22 percent thought it was too difficult, meaning the number of those adopting that viewpoint has fallen eight points.
In other findings in the telephone survey of likely voters conducted Aug. 11-12:
- 54 percent believe abortion is morally wrong most of the time. Women hold this belief more than men by 58 to 49 percent.
- 61 percent say abortion is at least somewhat significant in terms of how they will vote in November, and, of those, 33 percent believe it is very important.
- Pro-lifers are twice as likely as pro-choices to say abortion is an issue that will be important in their vote this fall.
Another study shows abortion associated with premature births
A new study provides more confirmation abortion is related to an increased chance of premature births during ensuing pregnancies.
Writing in the August edition of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ohio State University professor Jay Iams reported, “Contrary to common belief, population-based studies . . . have found that elective pregnancy terminations in the first and second trimesters are associated with a very small but apparently real increase in the risk of subsequent spontaneous pre-term birth.”
The American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), which reported on the study, applauded Iams’ comment, saying, “Most high profile American writers won’t breathe such a thing.”
Iams’ assertion conflicts with “common belief” because “the established authorities” in the United States ignore or seriously minimize the association between abortion and premature birth, AAPLOG said. There are 114 published studies that demonstrate a “statistically significant association,” according to the organization.
Also, Iams’ statement that the increase in the risk is “very small” does not seem consistent with other studies, AAPLOG said. His report refers to a 2009 study that found a 36 percent increase in premature births following an abortion, according to AAPLOG. That does not seem “very small,” AAPLOG indicated.
In addition, the risk ratio for premature birth in women with more than one abortion increases by 60 to 90 percent in later pregnancies, AAPLOG reported.
Iowa board urged to end ‘telemed’ abortions
U.S. Rep. Steve King, R.-Iowa, and nearly 60 pro-life or pro-family organizations called Aug. 20 for the Iowa Board of Medicine to put an end to “telemed” abortions.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has promoted the system, which it describes as “telemedicine,” in Iowa clinics. “Telemed” abortions involve a doctor counseling by means of videoconferencing a patient in a Planned Parenthood clinic in another town in the state. He can dispense the two-step abortion drug known as RU 486 to the woman seeking an abortion by pressing a computer button. His action opens a drawer from which the woman in the remote clinic may remove the pills.
The physician is able to observe her take the first pill, known as mifepristone or RU 486. She returns home to take the second pill, known as misoprostol, two days later. The first pill causes the lining of the uterus to release the embryonic child, resulting in his death, while the second causes the uterus to contract, expelling the baby.
In letters to the board, King and the pro-life advocates urged a ban on the system because it does not provide for a physical examination by a doctor and because RU 486 is being used up to nine weeks into pregnancy in “telemedicine.” The Food and Drug Administration has recommended the abortion pill be used only through the seventh week.
King called on Mark Bowden, the board’s executive director, “to reject this unlawful and dangerous practice.”
Among those signing the group letter were representatives of Americans United for Life, Christian Medical Association, Operation Rescue, National Black Pro-life Union, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, 40 Days for Life and Heartbeat International.
The board did not act on the request at its Aug. 20 meeting, but Chairman Siroos Shirazi of Iowa City said its staff would research the laws regarding “telemedicine,” the Des Moines Register reported.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission works to protect the sanctity of human life. If you would like to learn more about this issue, additional resources are available here. Our free, downloadable Impact resource is also available online. If your church is interested in purchasing materials on the sanctity of human life, please visit our online bookstore and erlc.com