Planned Parenthood ended nonsurgical abortions at its Wisconsin clinics Friday because of a new state law that subjects doctors who perform abortions but don't follow certain procedures to criminal penalties.
The law, signed by Gov. Scott Walker two weeks ago after the Republican-controlled state Legislature passed it earlier this year, took effect Friday.
It mandates that women having nonsurgical abortions visit the same doctor three times and that doctors ensure the woman is having the procedure voluntarily and without coercion. Failure to follow those requirements could result in felony charges against the doctor.
The law does not affect emergency contraception, known as the morning-after pill.
Planned Parenthood president and chief executive officer Teri Huyck said because of confusion over the new law, nonsurgical abortions are being suspended. Planned Parenthood will continue to provide surgical abortions at its clinics in Madison, Milwaukee and the Appleton area, its leaders said.
"The added risks of felony penalties for physicians who provide medication abortion are unnecessary and intended to threaten a physician's ability to provide women with medication abortion," Huyck said. "The decision to end a pregnancy is a complex one, specific to each woman and her individual circumstances. Decisions about childbearing should be made by a woman in consultation with her family and doctor — not by politicians."
Four other states — Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota — have similar laws to Wisconsin's new law, according to the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization that supports abortion rights. There is also a similar law set to take effect in Tennessee in July, and legislatures in Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Oklahoma were considering like-minded proposals, according to the Institute.
In Wisconsin on Friday, Planned Parenthood supporters denounced the new law, while abortion opponents praised the development.
Lisa Subeck, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, said the law adds unnecessary and intrusive restrictions for abortion providers.
And Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who is one of four Democrats running against Walker in a recall election, said he would work to overturn the law if elected.
Abortion opponents, however, praised the development.
Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, called Planned Parenthood's decision a "true victory for Wisconsin women."
"This common sense law protects women at a time when it is most needed and provides help if she is a potential or real victim of domestic abuse," Lyons said in a statement.
Planned Parenthood said about 25 percent of women who terminate pregnancies use the pill-induced abortion method, which requires a woman to take two drugs within the first nine weeks of pregnancy.
Source
Abortion opponents, however, praised the development.
You said that twice, Scott Bauer.
This is seriously a new low. Cutting out 1-in-4 abortions, raising the doctor's visits to the highest number I've heard of and increasing the overall cost to the woman three times, four times, five times?? Yeah, I'll bet abortion opponents praise this shit. Hopefully, Wisconsin will get rid of all their horrendous legislators soon and they can work to overturn this. Just ridiculous.
The law, signed by Gov. Scott Walker two weeks ago after the Republican-controlled state Legislature passed it earlier this year, took effect Friday.
It mandates that women having nonsurgical abortions visit the same doctor three times and that doctors ensure the woman is having the procedure voluntarily and without coercion. Failure to follow those requirements could result in felony charges against the doctor.
The law does not affect emergency contraception, known as the morning-after pill.
Planned Parenthood president and chief executive officer Teri Huyck said because of confusion over the new law, nonsurgical abortions are being suspended. Planned Parenthood will continue to provide surgical abortions at its clinics in Madison, Milwaukee and the Appleton area, its leaders said.
"The added risks of felony penalties for physicians who provide medication abortion are unnecessary and intended to threaten a physician's ability to provide women with medication abortion," Huyck said. "The decision to end a pregnancy is a complex one, specific to each woman and her individual circumstances. Decisions about childbearing should be made by a woman in consultation with her family and doctor — not by politicians."
Four other states — Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota — have similar laws to Wisconsin's new law, according to the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization that supports abortion rights. There is also a similar law set to take effect in Tennessee in July, and legislatures in Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Oklahoma were considering like-minded proposals, according to the Institute.
In Wisconsin on Friday, Planned Parenthood supporters denounced the new law, while abortion opponents praised the development.
Lisa Subeck, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, said the law adds unnecessary and intrusive restrictions for abortion providers.
And Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who is one of four Democrats running against Walker in a recall election, said he would work to overturn the law if elected.
Abortion opponents, however, praised the development.
Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, called Planned Parenthood's decision a "true victory for Wisconsin women."
"This common sense law protects women at a time when it is most needed and provides help if she is a potential or real victim of domestic abuse," Lyons said in a statement.
Planned Parenthood said about 25 percent of women who terminate pregnancies use the pill-induced abortion method, which requires a woman to take two drugs within the first nine weeks of pregnancy.
Source
Abortion opponents, however, praised the development.
You said that twice, Scott Bauer.
This is seriously a new low. Cutting out 1-in-4 abortions, raising the doctor's visits to the highest number I've heard of and increasing the overall cost to the woman three times, four times, five times?? Yeah, I'll bet abortion opponents praise this shit. Hopefully, Wisconsin will get rid of all their horrendous legislators soon and they can work to overturn this. Just ridiculous.
What?
What?
No, it fucking does not! If a woman is in an abusive situation, and is seeking an abortion because of that, forcing her to see a doctor three times before they'll do anything isn't going to protect or help her! It's going to do the exact opposite!
If you want to protect women from abusive SOs, draft legislation that more heavily penalizes domestic violence and provide more effective protection for victims - don't try to pretty up your anti-choice bullshit by claiming that it's "to protect abuse victims."
This is such bullshit. I hate this country right now.
This sucks guys, I'm sorry your state governments are a bunch of d*ckbags. :(
And meanwhile, every rape victim in the state will still be asked if she really did enough to make her refusal clear to the rapist.
In any case, how do they expect the clinic to identify and deal with coercion when they don't have the means to prevent the threat from being carried out? It's not as if the clinic staff can arrest someone accompanying a patient on the spot, on her say-so, and keep him there while the victim goes and safely moves out. If he's threatening something at home, like pets or kids, or she has her, say, necessary legal documents there, or if he owns the car and she'll lose her job without transportation, or she has nowhere to go, she'll be just as invested as he is in the clinic's not finding out about it. Because all they can do is refuse to perform the abortion and possibly prevent him from beating her in their building or leaving with her. They can't do anything past that, and if getting out of the abortion were the most important thing to her, the coercion would fail.
Want to eliminate coercion to get an abortion? Make it easier for women to safeguard themselves, their loved ones, and their personal property from their abusers, and make it easier for them to leave and get by independently of them. Guess which party tends to support things that do that? One guess and it doesn't start with an 'R' and if its mascot has a trunk, it's because it's going on vacation or possibly showing off the back end of its new car.
SUPER SHITTY LAW. Do they mandate that women giving birth and choosing a OB practice with multiple physicians see the same doctor three times? I don't think so.
Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, called Planned Parenthood's decision a "true victory for Wisconsin women."
SHUT THE FUCK UP. When women lose the ability to make medical decisions for themselves, THAT IS NOT A FUCKING VICTORY.
These people talk about "coercion" so much, I am beginning to wonder if they are speaking from experience...like a mistress being coerced so they can hide an affair or coercing their teen/young adult daughters so they don't look like the Palins or because she got knocked up by someone
of colorfrom the wrong side of the tracks"inappropriate".WHAT THE GODDAMN FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT ASSWIPE, YOU ARE MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR ABUSE VICTIMS. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY WOMEN HAVE THEIR BIRTH CONTROL SABOTAGED BY THEIR ABUSER TO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO LEAVE? DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WOULD BE FOR THEM TO GET AN ABORTION AT ALL, LET ALONE THREE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS? HOW ARE THEY GOING TO PAY FOR IT? HOW ARE THEY EVEN GOING TO GET THERE THREE TIMES WITHOUT THEIR ABUSER KNOWING?
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!
Edited at 2012-04-21 03:52 am (UTC)
I sat through one public hearing for this (on the Senate side). Lisa Subeck was the only one to testify against the bill, and the rest of the women there were for it. Afterward, Leah Vukmir and Mary Lazich came out and hugged all of them. My friend who went to the public hearing for the Assembly side said that the same women testified with the same testimony. One thing they had in common (for the most part) was that they all got pregnant as teens. When Chris Taylor asked if they had access to comprehensive sex education, the answer was no.
Julaine Appling and Barbara Lyons were also hovering outside the Assembly the night this passed. Michelle Litjens went out and had a nice chat with Lyons (whom I didn't recognize at the time, but I do have pictures of her there anyway) when it did pass. She also said it wasn't an abortion bill at one point.
Just some fun facts. At least we know for sure that Litjens is already gone. So is Jeffy Fitz (and a handful of others), so we're on our way to getting the bad ones out.
What does this have to do with abortion at all? It's not helping women, it's further hindering their ability to make decisions about their own health and body.
To claim that he/they do anything in the name of protecting women is utter bullshit. Fuckers.
Edited at 2012-04-22 06:04 pm (UTC)
Is that what they want for the US? Hundreds, if not thousands of deaths that are preventable? Oh wait, yes, I forget, fetuses are people, no one else is. Ceausescu high fives you morons from the grave.
I'll never understand why the choices a woman makes and her healthcare are anyone else's business.