Abortion

Arizona Abortion Legislation May Stop Three Clinics From Performing Abortions

A new rule requiring all abortions must be performed by a doctor may force three clinics to stop offering them all together.

When it comes to handing a woman a pill that will cause an abortion, there’s no reason why a certified doctor needs to be the one to physically give it to the patient. But a new law in Arizona has declared otherwise, and as a result, three local clinics may no longer be able to provide abortions.

Think Progress reports:

The new laws extend all the requirements for a surgical abortion to a medical abortion. While that includes the mandates for equipment and personnel that must be present, the biggest change is that nurse practitioners will no longer be able to perform the procedure.

Planned Parenthood, in its lawsuit, says that would mean no more abortions performed in Flagstaff, Prescott and Yuma which are staffed only by nurse practitioners. They also said it will mean unnecessary delays in the procedure for patients in the Tucson and Phoenix areas, as women who otherwise could get a medical abortion from a nurse practitioner now will have to wait until a doctor is available.

Of course, this could always be avoided if the clinics were allowed to use telemed, in which case a physician could consult with each patient individually without actually having a physical presence.  Which is probably why Arizona banned that, too.