Bill tightening abortion clinic rules advances

[TexasTowelie]

A Republican-backed bill imposing tougher licensing standards on abortion clinics was sharply criticized Tuesday as a cynical attempt to craft a backdoor ban on the procedure by forcing most Texas clinics to close.

But the bill’s author said he is seeking to protect women by requiring that abortion clinics be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers, mandating upgraded facilities to better treat potential complications.

“I make no secret of the fact that I don’t think abortion should be legal. But I also face the reality that they are, and given that fact, I think that we should take all precautions to make sure that an abortion, which is a surgical procedure, is done in the best manner possible,” said Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville.

“I would respectfully say that anyone that’s opposing this bill is basically stating that they do not think that women who make the decision to have an abortion should have the very, very best in medical care,” he said during a Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing on the bill.

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/bill-tightening-abortion-clinic-rules-advances/nWxqY/ .

[font color=green]The Repuke's war on women continues.[/font]

[COLGATE4]

1. Unless Federal Courts intervene

(including the Supremes, eventually) a woman's right to control her own reproductive system will soon be gone in many states. The Repuke 'incrementalists' have hit on a winning strategy - put such onerous restrictions on abortion clinics so that they are unable to conduct business, making obtaining a safe, legal abortion essentially impossible. This is just one example of many of these SNAP laws which are being promulgated by Repuke state legislators all around the country.

The sad part is that I doubt that many Federal courts will side with the clinics. In addition, the Repukes are praying for a case like this to get to the Supremes before one of the RW bastards on it croaks and Obama gets a chance to appoint a (at least slightly) more liberal justice.

Hard to believe that, so long after Roe that this fundamental right is in danger of disappearing in a large part of the country.

[onestepforward]

2. Limits and restrictions on abortions do not stop abortions,

it only forces women to look for other, less safe methods and it's already happening here in Texas:

http://austinist.com/2012/08/14/texas_women_are_crossing_the_border.php

In the past year, Texas women watched as lawmakers slashed funding for family planning and passed the "Sonogram Law" which, you may recall, forces women seeking abortions to undergo a sonogram a full 24 hours before the procedure. In retrospect, the 2011 legislative session basically operated as a reminder to Texas women that while we can have babies, we can't have a voice.

Now, in reaction to the lack of available family planning resources, New American Media is reporting on women in Texas border towns who travel to Mexico to obtain Misoprostol (also known as Cytotec), an ulcer medication that, when taken in high doses, can terminate unwanted pregnancies in the first nine weeks. The drug works quickly, is (relatively) cheap and available without a prescription.

But despite Misoprostol's effectiveness, healthcare providers worry about the lack of medical supervision for women taking the drug. Pharmacists in Mexico are not required to be trained or licensed and women often fail to visit the doctor for follow-up exams.

As the radical measures taken against family planning continue to be implemented, there is no doubt that women will continue to find radical ways to get around them.

We are going backward to a very dark time.