The Kansas House of Reps passed one of the most draconian and awful abortion bills imaginable last week. Among other things, it allows doctors to lie to their patients to keep them from getting abortions, even if the mother's health demands it, and mandates that doctors lie about health risks from abortion. It also allows doctors and pharmacists to withhold cancer treatment from pregnant women if they believe it might harm the foetus's health. From Amanda Peterson Beadle's writeup in ThinkProgress:
– EXPANDED ‘CONSCIENCE MEASURE: Earlier this week, the state Senate aproved a bill that offers additional legal protection to Kansas health care providers who refuse to participate in abortions. The House had already approved the measure, and it is likely that Gov. Sam Brownback (R) will sign it. But critics of the bill worry the “conscience” measure goes too far, and that it would allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control “allow a doctor to refuse to provide chemotherapy to a pregnant cancer patient because it might end her pregnancy,” according to the Associated Press.
– PREVENTING LICENSES FOR PROVIDERS: Last year, the legislature approved licensing regulations that specifically targeted the state’s three abortion providers, potentially making Kansas the first state where a woman could not access abortion services. But when a judge temporarily blocked the regulations from going into effect, Brownback’s administration planned to enact the exact same regulations to skirt around the court’s ruling.
– DEFUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD: Lawmakers signed off on a law last year to ban Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas from receiving federal funds, endangering health care for at least 5,700 patients. A judge blocked the law from going into effect, but the state has spent hundreds of thousands continuing to defend the law.
I think this is it.
http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b201...easures/sb313/
Highlighted the weasel words.– EXPANDED ‘CONSCIENCE MEASURE: Earlier this week, the state Senate aproved a bill that offers additional legal protection to Kansas health care providers who refuse to participate in abortions. The House had already approved the measure, and it is likely that Gov. Sam Brownback (R) will sign it. But critics of the bill worry the “conscience” measure goes too far, and that it would allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control “allow a doctor to refuse to provide chemotherapy to a pregnant cancer patient because it might end her pregnancy,” according to the Associated Press.
You actually believe the article when it states phsycians are mandated to lie to their patients?
I understand philosophical and theological debates over abortion, but deliberately twisting facts to support an agenda, which is done by the author, leaves me completely unimpressed.
This must be part of the GOP war scenario against women....
Actually, yes this is a fairly accurate statement. Some of the literature and information that this bill mandates doctors provide patients is false and misleading, at least as it stands right now.
Frankly, if you take the time to read the bill, you'll find more weaselly crap in it than in the article.....
-- Abortion causes/increases risk for breast cancer. FALSE
-- Life begins at conception. FALSE
Bill also protects from liability doctors who do not give full information on condition of fetus and prevents wrongful life suits... Among many other weaselly things.
Read it yourself, brother.
Love the new title, btw![]()
Yup - it is debatable and should not be presented as fact.
What bothers me the most in these types of bills is the "shaming" tactics they use. All the hoops they want a woman to jump through is offensive.
Also, where are all the "small government" people? These bills are all about govt. intrusion, but we hear nary a peep from the opponents of big government.
Here's a hypothetical for them:
Suppose a few states do pass these ridiculously draconian laws. It would seem logical that women's and doctors' groups would then start a system to facilitate out of state and out of country abortions (much like people traveling to Canada for prescription drugs). How will the states deal with this type of situation? If they tried to suppress this, would you support that intrusion on your rights?
--- I should also say that, in all honesty, I would not mind seeing Republicans push these draconian laws through. Anything to piss off a large segment of the voting population into voting against them works for me![]()