Recently there has been a flurry of activity in various state legislatures to impose new restrictions on abortion access and insurance coverage for abortion.
Let's start with Kansas, the state where Dr. George Tiller courageously practiced for decades, helping women in the most desperate of circumstances to end much-wanted pregnancies. That was until he was murdered last May. For many years, the Kansas legislature, with the help of the Kansas Attorney General, has been trying to impose new restrictions on what some call "late term abortion." Time and time again, for one reason or another, these bills have failed to pass. Recently, the legislature attempted to pass a bill which would have required doctors to report to the state the exact medical diagnosis for fetuses from abortions performed after 21 weeks. Thankfully, the Governor of Kansas vetoed this blatant violation of privacy.
In Virginia, the Governor recently slipped an amendment into the annual budget which would eliminate Medicaid coverage for abortions due to fetal anomaly. I suppose he assumed that the pro-choicers of Virginia would be so distracted by the victory of the first pro-choice license plate being available that they wouldn't notice the little Medicaid amendment he snuck into the budget. As someone who has terminated due to fetal anomaly and who knows how much it costs to have an abortion well into the 2nd trimester, I find this amendment shameful. As if being told your much-wanted baby is seriously ill and likely won't make it isn't devastating enough, now the poorest of Virginia's women will have to choose between paying out of pocket for a termination (which can be anywhere from $500 up to $15,000) or carrying to term and hoping that God/nature doesn't allow their baby to suffer at birth too much. Again, this is just shameful, Governor McDonnell!
And now to Nebraska, where the state legislature recently passed a bill which prevents abortion after 20 weeks, even if the mother is suicidal, on the mistaken presumption that fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks. This bill is unconstitutional and will not stand. The Supreme Court has already declared that the state does not have an interest until VIABILITY. VIABILITY does not = 20 weeks gestation. But the real point of this bill is to stop Dr. Leroy Carhart from bravely helping women to end tragic pregnancies, many of whom would have gone to Dr. Tiller had he not been killed last May. While technology and prenatal testing have made dramatic improvements over the past two decades, there are still many women who don't find out until their "routine" 20 week ultrasound that there is a problem with the fetus. If laws like this one in Nebraska are allowed to stand, women will forced to flock to Colorado or New Mexico or whereever the next clinic opens up to provide a refuge to these heartbroken moms.
Here's a great article written by a mom in Nebraska who terminated due to fetal anomaly.
