National Abortion Federation Blog: Saporta Reporter
| News about reproductive choice from the President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation, Vicki Saporta. |
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We continue to mourn the loss of our friend and colleague, Dr. George Tiller. Dr. Tiller was a dedicated physician who provided quality abortion care to women, at great personal sacrifice and risk. He is truly a hero to his fellow abortion providers and his patients. Dr. Tiller’s office is filled with letters from women, thanking him for the excellent, compassionate care he provided. Many of these women say Dr. Tiller saved their lives.
Since his tragic death, we have received messages from some of his patients and from people around the world who are saddened and outraged. We feel it is important to share these words and tributes to our beloved colleague and friend. For the first time, we will enable comments on our blog so that all of you can share your condolences or offer memories of Dr. Tiller. We invite you to join us in honoring a true American hero, Dr. George Tiller.
Post your comments, condolences, and personal memories of Dr. Tiller
California Man Charged with Attempted Murder of Abortion Provider
A California man is facing an attempted murder charge for plotting to shoot the doctor at a clinic where his girlfriend had obtained abortion care. Joel Robison allegedly drove to the clinic with a firearm February 17, but decided not to enter after seeing a clinic security guard. A week later Robison checked himself into a hospital for severe depression and admitted his murder plot to his doctor, who then informed the police. Even though he didn’t follow through with his plan, Robison’s actions still constitute attempted murder according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. If convicted, Robison could be sentenced to a maximum of 17 years to life in prison.
While major incidents of violence against abortion providers have decreased in recent years, there are still many anti-abortion extremists who believe that it is justifiable to murder doctors because they provide women with safe and legal abortion care.
>Learn more about clinic violence.Labels: California
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Quebec Government Plans to Repay Women For Abortion Fees
The Government of Quebec has established a claims process and will begin paying women who won a class-action lawsuit over supplementary fees they were required to pay for abortions between 1999 and 2006. In August the government was ordered to repay over $13 million to approximately 45,000 women who paid additional fees for their abortion care at private clinics and health centers. The Quebec Superior Court ruled that the women should not have incurred additional charges since abortion is covered under the Quebec Health Insurance Act.
>Find forms and learn about the claims process.>Learn more about abortion access in Canada.Labels: access, Canada
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Alabama Man Sentenced to Probation for Clinic Attack
On Thursday, an Alabama man was sentenced for driving his car into a Tuscaloosa abortion clinic in January 2006. Dalton Ray Skinner was ordered to pay $6,100 in damages, serve five years of probation, and live in an in-house substance abuse center until he successfully completes the treatment program. The judge also ordered Skinner to stay at least 200 feet away from the West Alabama Women’s Center.
Skinner was charged in April with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which makes it a federal crime to use force, the threat of force, or physical obstruction to prevent individuals from obtaining or providing reproductive health care services. He faced a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. It is disappointing that he only received probation. The enforcement of the FACE Act has had a significant impact on the decline in extreme violence against abortion providers in recent years.Labels: access, Alabama, anti-choice, FACE act, violence
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South Dakota Senate Committee Rejects Abortion Ban
This morning the South Dakota Senate State Affairs Committee rejected an abortion ban by an 8 to 1 vote. This dangerous ban would have prohibited safe abortion procedures with limited exceptions, and was passed by the state House last week.
Despite the committee’s vote, the measure’s main sponsor, Rep. Gordon Howie, said he would still try to bring the bill before the full Senate. Forcing the bill out of committee requires a one-third vote of the full Senate, but members of the State Affairs Committee said they didn’t think there were enough votes in the Senate to take up the bill.
Senators from both political parties opposed this ban. State Affairs Committee member and majority leader Dave Knudson said, “The root issue here is the clear unconstitutionality of this bill.”Labels: abortion bans, South Dakota
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Kansas Supreme Court Dismisses Charges Against Abortion Provider
The Kansas Supreme Court has granted a request by Attorney General Paul Morrison to dismiss charges against NAF member Dr. George Tiller. The charges against Dr. Tiller were filed by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline following two years of court battles over confidential medical records. Kline was defeated in last year’s midterm elections and filed the charges during his final days in office.
A District judge dismissed the charges in December, and District Attorney Nola Foulston conducted an investigation that found Dr. Tiller had not violated any laws.Labels: Kansas
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South Dakota Senate Rejects Three Abortion Measures
While the South Dakota House of Representatives passed a dangerous abortion ban yesterday, state senate committees defeated three bills aimed at restricting abortion access.
SB172 would have required doctors to inform women that they cannot be forced to have an abortion as part of the state’s required informed consent. SB171 would have required abortion providers to post a sign at their facilities stating such coercion is not allowed. Both bills were deemed unnecessary by lawmakers and defeated in committee. Also defeated was a bill passed by the South Dakota House that would have required abortion providers to offer women seeking abortion care the chance to view sonograms.Labels: abortion bans, access, South Dakota, state legislation
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Here is the press release we issued following the vote in South Dakota:Washington, DC - Reacting to today's action by the South Dakota House of Representatives to place another referendum before voters that would ban almost all abortions in the state, Vicki Saporta, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation (NAF), noted that "Legislators have again put politics ahead of the well-being of South Dakota women." House Bill 1293 would prohibit virtually all safe abortion procedures and contains only narrow exceptions. Saporta called the legislation "an outrageous and dangerous step backward for women's lives and health." If the bill clears the Senate and is signed by the Governor, the measure would be placed before South Dakota voters in the 2008 election. "Just a few months ago, the citizens of South Dakota voted against returning to the days of illegal and unsafe abortions," said Saporta. Last November voters decisively rejected a similar referendum, with 56% of voters casting a vote against a broad abortion ban. Labels: abortion bans, South Dakota, state legislation
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South Dakota Attempts to Have Another Abortion Ban Referendum
A bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state of South Dakota will be voted on today in the state’s House of Representatives. If the bill clears House and Senate and is signed by the Governor, the measure would be placed before South Dakota voters in the 2008 election. Last year, voters decisively rejected an abortion ban referendum. >Learn more about the dangers of abortion bansLabels: abortion bans, South Dakota, state legislation
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Voters in Portugal Support Overturning their Strict Abortion Ban
On Sunday, Portugal held a national referendum to legalize abortion up to the 10th week of pregnancy. While 59.3 percent of voters backed the measure, only about 44 percent of the electorate voted, short of the 50 percent turnout needed to amend Portugese law. Following the lead of the voters, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates has pledged to legalize abortion in Portugal. Portugal currently has one of the most rigid abortion laws in Europe, with the procedure banned except in cases of rape, fetal malformation, or if a woman's life or health is at risk. >View the BBC’s AnalysisLabels: abortion bans, Europe
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Study Finds Doctors' Moral Views May Affect Patient Care
According to a study published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, one in seven doctors surveyed said they would not mention a procedure they believed to be morally wrong to patients as a viable treatment option. Fifty-two percent of the doctors in the study said they opposed abortion, and 42 percent opposed prescribing birth control to 14- to 16-year-olds without parental approval. The study, conducted by University of Chicago researchers, is the first to examine how the religious or moral beliefs of physicians might affect patients' care—especially when dealing with abortion, teen birth control, and emergency contraception.Labels: Contraception, parental involvement, studies
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Portugal Referendum Could Legalize Abortion
This Sunday Portugal will hold a national referendum to legalize abortion up to the 10th week of pregnancy. Portugal currently has one of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, with the procedure banned except in cases of rape, fetal malformation, or if a woman's life or health is at risk.
Criminalization of abortion has not reduced the number of women seeking abortion care in Portugal. According to a Reuters article, over 20,000 Portuguese women put their lives at risk each year through dangerous self-induced or back-alley abortions. Thousands more women terminate unwanted pregnancies in underground private clinics or travel to other countries with less restrictive abortion laws.Labels: abortion bans, Europe
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Prevention First Act Introduced in House of Representatives
Representative Slaughter (D-NY) and Representative DeGette (D-CO) introduced the Prevention First Act in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday. Passage of this Act would improve women’s access to comprehensive reproductive health care services; fund medically accurate sex education and pregnancy prevention programs for teens; and increase federal funding for Title X, the nation’s family planning program.
Title X is the only federal program designed to fund family planning and reproductive health care services. More than 5 million low-income individuals annually take advantage of these preventative health care services. However, the Bush Administration has repeatedly attacked the Title X program. In addition to inadequately funding the program, last year Bush appointed anti-birth control ob-gyn, Dr. Eric Keroack to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs, which oversees the Title X program.
The Prevention First Act calls for funding for a public education campaign focusing on emergency contraception (EC), and requires emergency rooms to provide victims of sexual assault with EC. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Reid (D-NV).Labels: access, Contraception, Eric Keroack, federal legislation, Title X
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Florida Woman Arrested After Reporting Rape
Over the weekend a 21-year-old Florida woman called the police to report she had been raped while leaving a local parade, but during the investigation officers discovered the woman had an outstanding warrant for failure to pay restitution on a juvenile crime and arrested her. Even though she was given emergency contraception by a rape crisis center just before her arrest, she claims she was denied the second dose by a medical worker at the jail because of the worker’s religious beliefs. After the woman’s lawyer alerted the media, she was released from jail on Monday and given the second dose of emergency contraception a day late.
Tuesday the Tampa Police Department changed its policy concerning victims of sexual assault with past records. Under the new policy, shift commanders will have the authority to delay arrests for victims reporting a violent crime.
>Learn more about emergency contraception.Labels: access, violence
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States Continue to Attack Abortion Access
State lawmakers across the country continue their attempts to restrict abortion access.
Yesterday lawmakers in South Dakota introduced a bill banning abortion with limited exceptions. In November, voters in the state rejected an abortion ban by a wide margin. This year’s ban has stricter penalties; doctors who provide abortions could be charged with a Class-4 felony and face up to 10 years in prison.
A Utah House of Representatives panel Tuesday approved an unconstitutional abortion ban that challenges Roe v. Wade. Initially Rep. Paul Ray was expected to introduce a “trigger” bill, but at the last minute pushed for an abortion ban with limited exceptions. This is not the first time Utah legislators have tried to outlaw abortion. In the early 1990s Utah passed an abortion ban and spent more than $1 million taxpayer dollars to defend the law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court where it was struck down as unconstitutional.
Friday, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed a “trigger” bill, which would go into effect if Roe v. Wade were overturned. This measure would ban all safe abortion procedures at all stages of pregnancy with no meaningful exceptions.Labels: abortion bans, access, Roe v. Wade, South Dakota, state legislation
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