Roundup: Spanish Panel Recommends Liberalization of Abortion Law

Spanish Panel Recommends Liberalization of Abortion Law
A Spanish "government-appointed" panel has recommended that the country liberalize its abortion laws, the AP reports.  "The current law allows abortion up to 12 weeks in cases of rape and 22 weeks in cases of fetal malformation. It allows abortion at any stage if a doctor certifies a woman's physical or mental health is at risk.  Abortion would be allowed on demand up to 14 weeks, and up to 22 weeks if a doctor certifies a serious threat to the health of the mother or malformation of the fetus."

"Fetal Pain" Bill Moves Forward in Utah
A bill to require doctors to tell women having late-term abortions the fetus will feel pain has passed a preliminary vote in the Utah Senate, KCPW reports.  "The bill is based on research indicating fetuses can feel pain, but the finding is not universally accepted by the medical community. In fact, several medical groups oppose the bill, saying that administering anesthesia to a fetus can increase the risk of life-threatening complications for the mother."  KCPW adds, "Two other abortion bills have already been approved by the Utah Legislature this year. They include an increased penalty for physicians who perform illegal late-term abortions, and the creation of a fund to pay for litigation costs of future challenges to Roe v. Wade."

Houston Chronicle Calls for Comprehensive Sex Ed
A Houston Chronicle editorial points out that "Texas receives far more federal funding for abstinence education than any other state, yet in the latest government survey, it ranks third highest in the nation in teen birth rates."  As such, the Chronicle supports the efforts of two Texas lawmakers to pass legislation that would offer students access to medically-accurate sexuality education.  "The proposed measure will not require public schools to teach sex education. (It is not currently mandated.) But it will require those districts that do so to provide complete and medically accurate information.  Parents can opt out of the course, and the measure would require schools teaching sex education to stress that abstinence is the only absolutely effective way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, while also giving instruction on contraception and disease prevention."

What the Vitter Amendment Would Do

What happens when you defund the largest provider of family planning services, just because they provide comprehensive reproductive health care?  Access to services goes down -- and if there aren't competent clinics who can use the funds, there's a de facto decrease in funding.  The Weekly Standard claims that Sen. David Vitter's amendment to the omnibus to prevent family planning funding going to Planned Parenthood wouldn't actually decrease funding for family planning.  Effectively, there's wrong.  And let's take a step back.  What possible justification could there be for Vitter's amendment?  Planned Parenthood provides legal services, and does so competently.  He wants to defund them just because he doesn't like them?

"Confusing Patchwork of Regulations" in Wake of Octuplet Birth
The LA Times reports that state legislature are showing interest in regulating IVF in the wake of the octuplets' birth to California mother Nadya Suleman, which could result in a "confusing patchwork of regulations."  A Georgia bill "called 'The Ethical Treatment of Human Embryos Act,' defines an embryo as a "biological human being" and prohibits the destruction of frozen embryos -- wading into a loaded debate over abortion rights and embryonic stem cells."  The Times points out that states can use IVF regulation as cover to enact conservative, anti-choice state law.

Budget "Undermines Parental Control"?
The GOP has ten talking points on Obama's budget for you.  Here's number 7: The budget "Undermines Parental Control.  A proposed expansion of family planning programs through Medicaid would permit children of any income level to qualify for family planning services without parental approval."  With help from the Constitutional Law Professors Blog, we just debunked this talking point yesterday!  I quote again:

Legislators on these topics (and parents) may wish to believe that a person's constitutional rights begin when that person reaches the age of majority.  This is simply not true.  Minors have a First Amendment right to engage in free speech.  Minors have a Fourth Amendment right to be free of unreasonable searches on school grounds.  The Supreme Court decided that since minors do possess Constitutional rights in these areas, it would be unfair and inconsistent to hold that minors do not have a right to privacy under the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

"Much Work to Be Done" on Rescinding of Conscience Rule
On the Hill's Congress Blog, National Reproductive Health and Family Planning Association's Mary Jane Gallagher applauds the administration's move to rescind the HHS provider conscience expansion, but notes that "there is still much more work to be done."  "Already conservative ideologues – who claim to oppose abortion but who refuse to support common-sense, common-ground solutions like family planning, which helps prevent unintended pregnancy and thus reduces the need for abortion – are in an uproar about the move to rescind this rule.
The White House’s next step is to publish a new notice of proposed rulemaking rescinding the Bush rule in the Federal Register, and to accept comments from 'people across the ideological spectrum' during a 30-day public comment period."  That means family planning advocates need to stay vocal, Gallagher says.

Physician Education on EC Needed
A Children's Hospital of Philadelphia study finds that when physicians are better educated about emergency contraception, the frequency with which they offer it to patients increases.  For example, "Almost 20 percent of the doctors surveyed incorrectly answered that ECPs had to be administered within 24 hours of unprotected sex, when in fact the drug is effective for up to five days. This misinformation may lead to fewer prescriptions, the authors said...The five biggest concerns cited by the doctors participating in the internet-based survey were lack of patient follow-up after receiving the first dose; time constraints during the hospital visit to properly discuss ECP use; lack of clinical resources; a belief ECP discourages regular contraceptive use, and concerns about birth defects, according to the study."

Other News to Note
March 5: KETV: Abortion Bill Sparks Heated Debate: Measure Requires Doctors To Show Ultrasound Images

March 5: Boston Globe: State urged to delay decision on Caritas: Similar program in N.Y. has flaws, rights groups say

March 5: WaPo: Finding Peace in the Culture Wars

March 5: CNA: Obama’s pro-life backers risk usurping bishops, critic says

March 5: CNA: Pro-life experts ask Obama not to push abortion in Latin America

March 5: Birth-control shot linked to weight gain

March 5: Petition site:Don't Let the Senate Block Family-Planning Programs!

March 4: 40 Days for Choice: Why is Affordable Birth Control important

March 5: Opposing Views: OPINION: Pro-Choice Catholics are 'Contaminated,' Harm Church (Judie Brown)