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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Restrictive Bills Fail in Florida, Kansas
Although access to abortion care continues to be threatened in the states, this week, we celebrated the following defeats of new proposed restrictive legislation: The Florida Senate failed to pass a bill, which would have required a woman seeking abortion care to have an ultrasound and view the results unless she signed a waiver. After 90 minutes of debate, the bill died on a 20-20 tie. This legislation was medically unnecessary, and an unwarranted intrusion into the relationship between a doctor and patient. Anti-choice senators in Kansas failed to override the governor's veto of a bill imposing new restrictions on abortion care. Last week, Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS) noted in her veto message that the bill, "endangers the health of women and is likely to be found in violation [of] the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Kansas." >Learn more about abortion rights in the states.
Let's Focus on Protecting Women
More Italian Doctors Refusing to Provide Abortion Care
Last week, the Italian Health Ministry reported that nearly 70 percent of gynecologists in the country now refuse to perform abortions on moral grounds. Although Italy legalized abortion in 1978, the Vatican has pushed for doctors to claim a “conscientious objection” and refuse to provide abortion care. The number of gynecologists claiming such an exemption rose from 58.7 percent to 69.2 percent, from 2003 to 2007, according to the Ministry. When presenting these findings, outgoing Health Minister Livia Turco called on Italy's various regional health authorities to "guarantee an abortion service" despite the growing number of doctors who have moral objections to the procedure.The Health Ministry also reported an increase in immigrant women seeking abortion care, despite a decrease in the rates of legal and illegal abortions.
NAF Commends the Governor of Kansas for Her Veto of Legislation Restricting Abortion
Today, Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS) vetoed a bill (Senate Bill 389) imposing new restrictions on abortion care. Gov. Sebelius noted in her veto message that the bill, “endangers the health of women and is likely to be found in violation [of] the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Kansas.” Vicki Saporta, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation (NAF), released the following statement praising Gov. Sebelius for vetoing this harmful anti-abortion legislation:
We thank Gov. Sebelius for recognizing that this bill inappropriately legislates the way in which doctors care for their patients and improperly interferes with personal, private medical decisions.
NAF is the professional association of abortion providers in the U.S. and Canada. Our members work diligently to ensure that every woman seeking reproductive health care receives the highest quality care and accurate and complete information pertinent to her health care. Physicians have a legal, professional, and ethical obligation to share with their patients relevant information about available health care options and to respect their patients’ decisions. Quality medical practice requires that a patient and her physician decide together on medical treatment based on the specific needs of that patient. If this bill had been signed into law, it would have interfered with this crucial doctor-patient relationship and endangered the health of women in Kansas.
Quebec’s Legislative Assembly Denounces C-484
Yesterday, the legislative assembly in Quebec voted unanimously against federal Bill C-484, which would create a new crime of causing injury to or the death of a foetus. This bill would elevate the foetus - even an embryo only weeks old - to a status equal with that of the adult woman, and could be used to erode abortion rights in Canada. Earlier this week, Quebec's Federation of Specialist Doctors, came out against this legislation. >Learn more about Bill C-484.
National Abortion Federation Supports the Recommendation to Allow Plan B to be Sold Over-the-Counter in Canada
Today we released the following statement supporting the recommendation of the National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee (NDSAC) to the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) to allow Plan B (also known as emergency contraception) to be sold over-the-counter: The recent NDSAC recommendation is an important endorsement to allow Canadian women the ability to easily access Plan B in time for it to be an effective option. In August 2007, NAF sent a letter to NAPRA supporting the request to allow Plan B to be sold over-the counter.
Changing the status of Plan B from behind-the-counter to over-the-counter would allow more women to prevent unintended pregnancies. Additionally, allowing Plan B to be sold over-the-counter would also reduce the cost, since a consultation with a pharmacist would not be required.
Plan B contains a concentrated dose of the progestin hormone found in daily birth control pills, and reduces the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent when taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse.
The Need for Abortion Training in Medical Schools
In Canada, training in comprehensive reproductive health care including abortion is not currently offered as part of the core training in undergraduate medical education or as a part of required training in all ob/gyn or family practice residency programs. This limits the ability of physicians to provide comprehensive reproductive health care to their patients. Medical schools must provide training opportunities for medical students and residents to ensure that future generations of Canadian women have access to quality abortion care. RH Reality Check examines this issue today on their blog and notes, "Without properly trained doctors, compassionate medical staff, and adequate facilities, women in Canada are not able to access the abortion services that they need." To address these issues, NAF is reaching out to medical schools and residency programs to offer NAF's educational resources to help ensure that abortion is included in their curricula.
Spreading the Truth About Crisis Pregnancy Centers
 This week NAF and Choice USA have partnered with RH Reality Check on a campaign to expose and stop the deceptive advertising practices used by Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). >Read about real experiences with CPCs.>Learn how you can take action to stop these centers!
Podcast: Don’t be Fooled by CPCs
This week I participated in the RH Reality Check podcast Reality Cast discussing the deceptive tactics utilized by Crisis Pregnancy Centers to dissuade women from obtaining abortion care. >Listen to the podcast.>Learn more about Crisis Pregnancy Centers.
Disciplinary Action Upheld Against Pharmacist who Refused to Fill Birth Control Prescription
Tuesday the 3rd District Court of Appeals upheld the decision of the Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board to reprimand and limit the license of a pharmacist who refused to refill a woman's valid prescription for birth control pills in 2002, because of his religious beliefs. The appellate court ruled that while the pharmacist had the right to refuse to provide contraceptives, he was wrong in refusing to direct the woman to a place where she could get her prescription filled. Additionally, pharmacist Neil Noesen interfered with the woman's efforts to obtain her birth control by refusing to transfer the prescription to another pharmacy. "He prevented all the efforts (the woman) made to obtain her medication elsewhere when he refused to complete the transfer and gave her no options for obtaining her legally prescribed medication elsewhere," the appellate court ruled in a decision written by Judge Michael Hoover. "The Board could therefore properly conclude that he violated a standard of care applicable to pharmacists."
Supreme Court Declines to Review Arizona Prison’s Abortion Policy
Yesterday the United States Supreme Court rejected an appeal from an Arizona county sheriff in a case concerning abortion rights for incarcerated women. The case involves a Maricopa County Jail policy, which only permitted prison officials to transport women seeking abortion care if they had obtained a court order, even though prisoners are regularly transported without a court order for all other necessary medical care. In May 2004, a pregnant inmate, represented by the ACLU, challenged the prison’s policy. In August 2005, the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County struck down the jail’s policy and held that it violated women’s reproductive rights and served "no legitimate penological purpose." In January 2007, the Arizona Court of Appeals upheld that decision, and in September of last year the Arizona Supreme Court refused to review the case."Today’s announcement puts an end to Maricopa County prison officials’ blatant disregard of the law and failure to ensure that prisoners get the health care they need," said Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arizona. "It’s the end of the road for Sheriff Arpaio’s campaign against reproductive freedom."
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