Reproductive Rights Prof Blog

Rolling Stone Lists 10 "Dumbest" Anti-Choice Comments About Abortion

Rolling Stone: The 10 Dumbest Things Ever Said About Abortion and Women's Rights, by Sarah Seltzer:

The worst sexist statements, logical fails and outright idiocy from the anti-choice movement

As long as abortion restrictions and bans continue to be rammed through state legislatures and introduced on Capitol Hill, it seems that anti-choice zealots will continue making headlines with their bizarre, scientifically incorrect and downright cruel remarks. Whether they're confusing the basics of female anatomy, making offensive comparisons to historical tragedies, trivializing rape or labeling pro-choice politicians "terrorists," these anti-abortion crusaders – led by a hee-hawing band of actual elected officials – could populate a thousand lists of epically dumb comments. Here's a sampling of the most ill-informed, borderline delusional and flat-out misogynist statements from the so-called "pro-life" movement: . . .

Stringent New Abortion Law in Texas May Lead Women to Self-Abortion

The New York Times: A Pill Available in Mexico Is a Texas Option for Abortion, by Eric Eckholm:

At the Whole Woman’s Health center here, a young woman predicted what others would do if the state’s stringent new abortion bill approved late Friday forces clinics like this one to close: cross the border to Mexico to seek an “abortion pill.” . . .

California Bill Raises Questions About How to Protect Human Egg Donors

The Los Angeles Times - op-ed: Leveling the field for human egg donors, by Naomi Cahn & June Carbone:

A bill before Gov. Jerry Brown would make it legal for research programs to pay for human eggs, as they do for sperm. But the issue is complicated.

In the United States, there is a competitive market in human eggs provided for reproductive purposes. An "extraordinary" egg donor can earn as much as $50,000 when she offers her eggs to an infertile couple. In California, however, that same "extraordinary" individual would receive nothing, aside from payment for her direct expenses, if she provided those same eggs for research purposes. That could change soon. . . .

TRAP Law Forces Virginia's Busiest Abortion Clinic to Close

The Washington Post: Fairfax city clinic, busiest in Virginia, closes, by Tom Jackman:

A women’s health care clinic in Fairfax City that performed more abortions than any other location in Virginia has closed, and it’s unclear whether it will reopen elsewhere.

The closure, and the clinic’s difficulty finding new space, highlight a growing issue in the abortion debate: changes in local and state regulations and standards for abortion clinics. . . .

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In case anyone should doubt that the real purpose of TRAP laws is to limit abortion access, rather than to ensure women's safety, take a look at this quote from the same story:

The shutting of NOVA is “huge,” said Troy Newman of the antiabortion group Operation Rescue, which helped stage protests outside NOVA. “Our focus has always been on the local level. In the last 15 years, we’ve closed 71 percent of all the abortion clinics in the nation.” He said the number of clinics in the United States had dropped from 2,176 in 1991 to 625 today.

-CEB

NYT Editorial Page Editor Asks, "What's Wrong With a 20-Week Abortion Ban?"

The New Times - Taking Note blog: What’s Wrong With a 20-Week Abortion Ban?, by Andrew Rosenthal:

The Texas House today passed the abortion restriction bill that State Senator Wendy Davis derailed last month.

One provision would move the point at which abortions are no longer legal to 20 weeks from 24 weeks. Another would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and allow abortions to take place only in surgical centers.

The Catholic Association’s press release celebrating progress on the bill said it merely “seeks to raise standards for women’s health and limits the inhumane and heart-breaking practice of late-term abortion.”

So what’s the big deal? . . .

Determined North Carolina Legislators Attach Abortion Provisions to Unusual Vehicles

CNN.com: Legislators' secretive abortion bill fuels #vaginamotorcycles, by Ben Brumfeld:

If at first you don't succeed, ride in on a motorcycle.

Conservative legislators in North Carolina trying to get a new restrictive abortion bill passed have done just that.

House committee members refashioned a bill on motorcycle safety into one principally about abortion after the state's governor threatened on Wednesday to veto the anti-abortion measures.

They were previously attached to a bill aimed at keeping foreign laws -- which included Islamic Sharia law -- out of state legal proceedings. . . .

Minnesota Public Radio Program Addresses Wave of State Restrictions on Abortion

Minnesota Public Radio's The Daily Circuit: State-by-state abortion limits appear headed for the courts:

The growing national trend toward state-by-state limits on abortion and abortion clinics will eventually have to be addressed in the courts, say experts on reproductive-rights policy.

Attention has been focused on state-level regulation of abortion since last month, when state Sen. Wendy Davis stood on the floor of the Texas Senate for more than 12 hours to block a vote on what would have become one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. . . .

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I participated in this program, along with Scott Gaylord (Elon Law School) and Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post.  Audio is available here:

-CEB

Maryland Presents an Alternative Approach to Abortion Clinic Regulation

The New York Times: Maryland’s Path to an Accord in Abortion Fight, by Eric Eckholm:

The 18-year-old woman arrived at Johns Hopkins Hospital by medevac helicopter in critical condition. Her uterus and bowel had been pierced during a late-term abortion that had started in New Jersey and ended at an unmarked, unregulated clinic in Elkton, in northeastern Maryland. . . .

The near disaster in an Elkton mall led to something rare in this era of polarized abortion politics — sharply tightened oversight of Maryland abortion clinics that came into full force this year and won praise from both sides of the political divide. The state’s first system of licensing and inspecting the clinics has already improved patient safeguards without imposing costly burdens, defenders and opponents of abortion rights agree. . . .

Department of Educ. Office for Civil Rights Urges Greater Support for Pregnant and Parenting Students

U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights: Dear Colleague Letter:

Dear Colleague:

We as a nation need to do more to help the hundreds of thousands of young people who become mothers and fathers each year graduate from high school ready for college and successful careers. According to studies cited in the attached pamphlet, Supporting the Academic Success of Pregnant and Parenting Students Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 26 percent of young men and young women combined who had dropped out of public high schools — and one-third of young women — said that becoming a parent was a major factor in their decision to leave school. And, only 51 percent of young women who had a child before age 20 earned their high school diploma by age 22. The educational prospects are worse at the higher-education level. Only 2 percent of young women who had a child before age 18 earned a college degree by age 30. This low education attainment means that young parents are more likely than their peers to be unemployed or underemployed, and the ones who do find jobs will, on average, earn significantly less than their peers.

To help improve the high school and college graduation rates of young parents, we must support pregnant and parenting students so that they can stay in school and complete their education, and thereby build better lives for themselves and their children. . . .

Seventeen States Passed 43 Abortion Restrictions in 2013

The Washington Post - WonkBlog: Seventeen states made it harder to get an abortion this year , by Sarah Kliff:

The Guttmacher Institute, which tracks these things, on Monday released its regular look at the state of abortion regulations.

Taken together, these 17 states (full list here) have passed 43 abortion restrictions. That pales in comparison to the 80 such laws that had passed by this time in 2011 and is just slightly higher than restrictions enacted last year. It’s also a huge jump over the dozen or so laws that states would typically pass just a few years ago. . . .

Fourth Circuit Issues Ruling in Challenge to Baltimore Regulation of "Crisis Pregnancy Clinics"

The Baltimore Sun: Fourth Circuit overturns ruling on abortion signs, by Ian Duncan & Tricia Bishop:

Decision sends case on unusual city law back to lower court

The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Wednesday a lower court ruling striking down a Baltimore ordinance that required pregnancy clinics to post signs stating if they do not provide abortions.

Judge Robert B. King wrote in a majority opinion that the lower court was too hasty in overturning the city law but did not decide on the case's merits. The city has agreed to keep the law on hold while the lower court takes it up again. . . .

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The opinion is available here.

H/T: Jonathan Weinberg

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Wisconsin TRAP Law

ACLU press release: Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Wisconsin Abortion Law:

Law Would Have Closed Half of State's Abortion Clinics

MADISON, Wis. – A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order today for a Wisconsin law that places medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion providers and would severely restrict women's access to safe and legal abortion in a state where access is already heavily restricted. Two of only four health centers providing safe and legal abortion today could be forced to close.

The law was challenged last week by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.

"We're thankful that the judge has put the brakes on a dangerous law that was rammed through the legislature with no thought to the health and well-being of Wisconsin women and families," said Larry Dupuis, legal director of the ACLU of Wisconsin.

"Politicians in Wisconsin and across the country need to get the message that it is unlawful to arbitrarily prevent a woman from making the best decision for her family," said Talcott Camp, deputy director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. "We'll continue to fight this law and others like it around the country to stop this insidious campaign to outlaw safe and legal abortions."

For more information on this case, please visit:
aclu.org/reproductive-freedom/planned-parenthood-wisconsin-v-van-hollen

Rick Perry Confident Texas Abortion Ban Will Pass in Special Session

CBS News: Rick Perry: Late-term abortion ban "is going to pass," by Jake Miller:

For Texan legislators seeking to restrict abortion rights, Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, believes the second time's a charm.

After a filibuster in the Texas state legislature successfully blocked the passage of a bill banning late-term abortions in June, Perry said Sunday he's confident abortion opponents will score a victory when the legislature reconvenes on Monday. . . .

Wave of State Restrictions Keeps Abortion in National Spotlight

The Washington Post: Abortion limits at state level return issue to the national stage, by Juliet Eilperin:

As a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly years ago, Republican Scott Walker pushedtwo key measures to limit abortions. Neither was successful.

But as governor on Friday, Walker signed legislation requiring that women get an ultrasound before having an abortion and mandating that doctors who perform the procedure have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Opponents say the bill would force at least two clinics in Wisconsin to close.

The measures are part of a wave of abortion limits passed this year by conservative lawmakers and governors, who have approved more than 40 restrictions in statehouses around the country, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks the issue. . . . 

Wisconsin Governor Signs TRAP Law, Including Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Mandate

NPR: Abortion Providers Sue As Wisconsin Governor Signs Bill, by Dana Farrington:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill that would require women seeking an abortion to get an ultrasound. The bill also puts restrictions on doctors who perform abortions, reports Marti Mikkelson of member station WUWM in Milwaukee.

Mikkelson tells our Newscast Desk that the bill, passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in June, would "prohibit doctors from performing abortions unless they have admitting privileges at a local hospital." . . .

TRAP Laws' Agenda: Shut Down Abortion Providers

Guttmacher Institute: TRAP Laws Gain Political Traction While Abortion Clinics - and the Women They Serve - Pay the Price, by Rachel Benson Gold & Elizabeth Nash:

Waiting periods. Inaccurate counseling scripts. State-mandated ultrasounds. Over the years, these have been among the many favored obstacles antiabortion activists have thrown in the path of women seeking to terminate their pregnancies—all under the guise of protecting women’s health. Hundreds of these requirements are now law across the country at the state level. And at this point, having mostly exhausted legal means of discouraging women from choosing abortion, opponents recently have stepped up their efforts to block clinics from providing them. More than half the states now have laws instituting onerous and irrelevant licensing requirements, known as Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider (TRAP) laws, which have nothing to do with protecting women and everything to do with shutting down clinics. . . .

Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Sues Obama Administration Over FOIA Request on Contraception Insurance Mandate

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh files suit over FOIA request, by Amy McConnell Schaarsmith:

Federal health officials broke federal laws by stonewalling legal attempts to learn how they created new rules requiring employers to pay for insurance that covers contraception, sterilization and abortion, according to lawyers representing the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.

In a lawsuit filed Monday, lawyers for the diocese, including its Catholic Charities group and its Catholic Cemeteries Association, claim federal administrators of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention purposely created extraordinary and illegal barriers to their client obtaining public information about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. . . .

Comedian Rob Delaney on Why He Cares About A Woman's Right to Choose

The Guardian UK: Why I Support Women's Access to Safe, Legal Abortion, by Rob Delaney:

I so love my kids, I can be envious of my wife for carrying them when pregnant. But I care about her right to choose just as much

I support a woman's right to safe, legal abortion because centuries of history shows us that women are going to get abortion whether they are safe and legal or not. And when they're not safe and legal, these women will often die terrible or be damaged irreparably. . . .

Ohio Governor Signs Budget with Numerous Anti-Choice Provisions

The Columbus Dispatch: Kasich signs budget, but veto keeps alive Medicaid expansion, by Jim Siegel:

Gov. John Kasich last night vetoed language attempting to block him from moving forward with Medicaid expansion, but did not touch any of the anti-abortion language before signing the new two-year, $62 billion state budget. . . .

The Washington Post - The Fix blog: What makes Ohio’s new abortion law unique, by Rachel Weiner:

As Texas lawmakers try to pass the abortion restrictions that Democrats filibustered last week, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) has signed one of the country’s most stringent antiabortion bills into law.

While Texas’ legislation was notable for packaging together several barriers to abortion, Ohio’s law contains something unique to the state. Clinics must have an agreement with a local hospital to transfer patients there in the case of an emergency, but public hospitals are barred from entering into those agreements. Opponents of the restriction say they will be used as an excuse to close clinics that have no way of complying. . . .

Federal 20-week Abortion Ban Could Raise Medicaid Costs Up to $400 Million

Politico: CBO: Abortion Ban Would Raise Deficit, by Jake Sherman:

Nearly every single House Republican voted last week to increase government spending and push the nation further into debt — all to limit abortion access for some women.

The official budget scorekeeper of Congress says the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks, would increase Medicaid costs by as much as $400 million. . . .