5 Major Stories This Week That Matter to the Pro-Life Movement

By Nancy Flory Published on April 1, 2016

From statehouses to the campaign trail, this week has been a busy one for those interested in the preservation of life. Three governors signed bills that directly affect the issue of abortion, the FDA is making an abortion pill more readily available, and Donald Trump ignited a firestorm by saying women should be punished who’ve had abortions, should abortions again become illegal.

Here are five big abortion-related stories from the week:

Florida

On Monday Governor Rick Scott signed a bill that will pull taxpayer funding from facilities that perform abortions. During the Florida legislative debate over the bill, state Sen. Aaron Bean (R-Fernandina Beach, FL) argued in support of HB1411. “We pay their light bill, we pay their salaries, we pay all kinds of things when the state contracts with these clinics,” he said. “Let’s get Florida out of the abortion business.”

Virginia

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, close friend and trusted ally of the Clintons in a key presidential swing state, said Tuesday that he was “very proud” that he had the opportunity to veto a bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood and any organization that performs abortions, with the exception of hospitals, in his state, reports The Hill.

Del. Ben Cline (R-Rockbridge County, VA) said he was unhappy with McAuliffe’s decision to halt Cline’s bill, which passed Virginia’s General Assembly this year by a vote of 76-40 in the House and 25-15 in the Senate.

I am disappointed that Governor McAuliffe chose to veto this important legislation that would redirect taxpayer dollars toward more comprehensive providers of health care services for women. The Governor is clearly listening to his friends in the abortion lobby, rather than ensuring that women have access to quality care.

Utah

Also on Monday, Governor Gary Herbert signed bill S.B. 234, making it mandatory to administer an anesthetic or analgesic to alleviate pain to the unborn child before an abortion after 20 gestational weeks. Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Provo) sponsored the bill and said, “Let’s call it what it is: It is killing babies, and if we’re going to kill that baby, we ought to have the humanity to protect them from pain.”

In another statement, Bramble said he would overturn Roe v. Wade if he could. “If we could prohibit all abortions except in the rarest of circumstances, if we could overturn Roe v. Wade, I would be a proud sponsor of that bill.”

Of course, Gov. Herbert wasn’t without critics. OB-GYN Leah Torres said the anesthetic bill is “not in line with standard medical ethics,” and added:

It deeply concerns me that a legislature would have the audacity to tell me what medicines I must or must not give my patients. … This legislation pretends to know what is best for an individual and their family, as if they are not already going through enough deciding how to proceed.

 

FDA and the Abortion Pill

The FDA announced Wednesday that it had relaxed the guidelines for taking mifepristone (formerly known as RU-486), a medication that induces abortion. Changes included reducing the dosage from 600 milligrams to 200 milligrams, decreasing the number of doctor visits for the woman from three to two and extending the allowable time period to take the pill from 7 weeks gestation to 10 weeks gestation, reports The New York Times.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, the president of abortion facilities in five states, was thrilled with the change. “This will allow us to do two things immediately: Expand medical abortions up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, and cut out the unnecessary additional visit for the second dose of medication.”

Donald Trump Misstep on Abortion

Donald Trump on Wednesday made some startling comments about punishments for abortion, should the law change under his direction. In a taped segment on MSNBC, Trump told Chris Matthews that women who have abortions should be punished. “The answer is there has to be some form of punishment,” Trump said.

Matthews asked, “For the women [who have abortions]?” Trump responded, “Yes.” However, within hours Trump was walking back his statement. CBS News reports that just over an hour after the segment aired, Trump issued a formal statement reversing that stand:

If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.

Here is MSNBC’s clip of the exchange:

 

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