Roundup: Illinois Abortion Notification Law Revived

Illinois Abortion Notification Law Revived
A law in Illinois requiring teen girls to notify their parents before getting an abortion was revived by a federal appeals court Tuesday. The law was originally passed in 1984, and was updated in 1995, but a U.S. District Judge banned enforcement in 2007, according to Huffington Post.

Anti-abortion advocates praised the appeals court's decision, while abortion rights advocates said the law would put young women wanting abortions in dangerous situations.

Lorie A. Chaiten of the American Civil Liberties Union told the Huffington Post the law "creates unnecessary, dangerous hurdles to accessing essential health care for young women facing an unintended pregnancy in the state of Illinois."

The appeals court described the law as "a permissible attempt to help a young woman make an informed choice about whether to have an abortion."

Although the law does require girls to inform their parents before getting an abortion, and doesn't require parental consent, girls do not need to notify their parents if they notify a judge instead. The ACLU said this is not a practical provision to the original law, according to the post.

Florida Judge Demoted After Ruling Gay Adoption Ban Unconstitutional
Miami circuit court judge Cindy Lederman was removed from top administrative judge and made juvenile court judge after ruling Florida's gay adoption ban unconstitutional in November 2008, according to the Miami Herald. The gay adoption ban is now on appeal.

Miami's new chief justice, who demoted Lederman, says he wanted "new perspectives and leadership." The article did not make clear whether Lederman's ruling on the gay adoption ban and her demotion were connected.

The article also said Lederman "oversaw many juvenile justice programs in Miami, and in 2002 publicly scolded state officials" after the disappearance of Rilya Wilson, a 5-year-old foster child.

Catholics Curious about New Surgeon General's Stance on Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues
When President Obama picked Dr. Regina Benjamin as Surgeon General, many Catholic health care representatives rejoiced, but now show concerns for her stance on sexual and reproductive health issues, according to USA Today.

Benjamin, a Catholic, founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Alabama, and although it is not an openly Catholic institution, she was awarded a medal by Pope Benedict XVI for her work.

According to the article, Benjamin's stance on condom use will come into question because she has said that she has family members who died at young ages of preventable diseases including HIV/AIDS. A later Miami Herald story reported that Benjamin "supports the President's position on reproductive health issues."

As surgeon general, Benjamin would head Obama's new advisory committee, and will be tasked with deciding what services are going to be covered by his new health insurance proposals, the article said.

Planned Parenthood is Going to Fight Arizona's New Abortion Bill
Just after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill restricting abortions, Planned Parenthood has announced that it is not giving up, KTAR.com reported. Carol Bafaloukos from Planned Parenthood said the bill, which requires a 24-hour waiting period before getting an abortion after visiting an abortion provider, puts restraints on teenage girls wanting to get abortions and lets health care providers refuse to provide emergency contraception based on religious or moral grounds, is frustrating and puts up barriers for women, according to the article.

She told KTAR:

"We're still strategizing with our Planned Parenthood Federation of America...But, we are very dedicated to assisting women. It really takes us backwards. Women are confronted with very difficult decisions very often and to further put up barriers for them to make their own decisions is very frustrating."

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE:

July 14: Wonk Room: Grassley Misrepresents His Role In Taking Away Abortion Services From Women Within The Exchange

July 14: CQ Politics: Hearing Disrupted Anew by Abortion Protester

July 14: Catholic News Agency: Health care bill drawing bipartisan fire over abortion funding

July 14: Population Reference Bureau: Youth, Women's Rights, and Political Change in Iran

July 15: WaPo: Old Mission, New Life

July 8: Christian Post: IRS Makes Unusual Requests to Pro-Life Group Seeking Tax-Exempt Status

July 14: KTAR: Planned Parenthood to fight abortion bill

July 14: London Free Press: Families in lurch as adoption agency goes bankrupt

July 14: Miami Herald: Obama's surgeon general pick: a Catholic who backs abortion rights

July 14: Ghanaian Times: Govt Urged To Stop Declining Funds For Family Planning

July 14: AP: Miami judge who struck gay adoption ban demoted

July 14: ScienceDaily: Potential Failure Of Oral Contraceptives With Obese Women Explained

July 14: Northern Colorado Connection:Birthright of Loveland elects 3 new directors

July 14: CitizenLink: Arizona Governor Signs Pro-Life Legislation

July 14: CNS News: Pro-Life Group Disputes Sotomayor's View that Roe v. Wade Is ‘Settled Law'

July 14: Boston Globe:Sotomayor calls abortion rights 'settled law'

July 14: HuffPo:Illinois Abortion Notification Law Revived By Court

July 14: Buzzflash: Jane Roe's Unusual Journey from Pro-Choice Icon to Arrested Anti-Abortion Protestor

July 14: NYTimes: Respecting Precedent, or Settled Law, Unless It's Not Settled

July 14: ACLU: 9th Circuit Fills Prescription for Religious Refusals at the Pharmacy

July 14: Americans United for Life: AP Editor: Sotomayor Used ‘Pro-Choice' Language (As Does the AP)

July 14: USA Today: Obama's surgeon general pick will be grilled on 'life issues'

July 14: HuffPo:Maternal Mortality Gets Obama Spotlight While Aid Dollars Decline

July 14: AP:Court revives Ill. abortion notification law

July 14: LA Times: Sotomayor hearings: Kohl touches on abortion, cameras

July 14: Daily Gazette: Planned Parenthoods, supporters to ask Congress to protect women's health care

July 14: BBC News: NHS in contraception switch call

July 14: Jakarta Post:Letters: Population explosion

July 14: NPR:Abortion Issue Could Derail Health Care Overhaul

July 14: MLive: Bethany Christian Services adoption agency client featured on MTV show '16 and Pregnant'

July 13: Our Bodies, Ourselves: Political Diagnosis: Global Gag Rule; Update on Conscience Clause; New Violence Against Women Advisor; The Last Word on Sarah Palin? ...

July 14: BBC News: Kenya concern over pill popping

July 14: Catholic Exchange: LA Gov. Jindal Strengthens Pharmacists' Conscience Protections but Wisconsin Forces Distribution of Abortifacient Pill

July 14: Vindy.com: Ryan loses favor with pro-life group

July 13: Detroit Free Press: Essure tubal coil permanent birth control catching on