Reply #16: Palm Beach Post: Abortion bills target women's wallets [View All]

[seafan]

Abortion bills target women's wallets

By THOMAS R. COLLINS
Palm Beach Post

Friday, April 11, 2008

TALLAHASSEE — The abortion issue has electrified the state House and Senate this month with bills that would require ultrasounds before first-trimester abortions.
But there's more to the debate than privacy and morality. At issue is another topic near and dear to all Floridians: cash.
Under a bill heading toward the Senate floor, a woman not only would have to watch live images of the ultrasound, or sign a form declining to, she would have to pay for the procedure even if she doesn't watch it.

Most clinics include an ultrasound and factor it into the price of an abortion. But opponents say it's not medically necessary and that making the expense mandatory runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution, hitting the poor particularly hard. An ultrasound typically costs between $50 and $250.
"For some low-income women, that could mean the difference between whether they can get the care they choose or not," said Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation.
Another concern, they say, is that the language of the Senate bill could mean that even if a woman declines to view the image, the health professional would have to discuss what's occurring while the ultrasound is being performed.

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The House passed its version of the bill (HB 257) last week on a 70-45 vote along party lines. With the backing of Majority Leader Daniel Webster, R-Winter Garden, the Senate measure (SB 2400) is nearing a vote by the full chamber. After the Health Regulation Committee approved it on a 4-3 vote this week, only one committee stop remains.

Gov. Charlie Crist hasn't yet taken a position on the issue.

The House version includes extra requirements for minors seeking an abortion.
Ultrasounds already are required for second- and third-trimester abortions in Florida, but 91 percent of the procedures in 2006 were done in the first trimester, state records show.
The bill would allow victims of rape, incest or human trafficking to opt out of the viewing, but only if they provide documentation, such as a police report. Opponents argue that these crimes aren't always reported.

Only Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi require that an ultrasound be performed before all abortions and that it be offered for viewing.

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The money issue figures to loom large if the bill makes it to the floor for debate.

Nationally, 57 percent of women who have abortions are "economically disadvantaged," according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group on reproductive health that was a part of Planned Parenthood through 1977.
Opponents argued in the House last week that the requirement might fly in the face of the "undue burden" standard set out in a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
The court said a law is unconstitutional if it "has the purpose or effect of placing a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion" of a nonviable fetus.
Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, said the money issue is a big problem with the bill.

"It's dangerous because it also impacts the poor," he said. "There's no provision for any insurance or Medicaid to cover this."

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"I do believe life begins at conception and I believe the state has a right to make sure that folks understand what they're doing," said Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Winter Haven. "I will never forget the day my wife and I viewed our first child's ultrasound."

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