Bill Renews Debate Over Rural Access to Abortion
Before Texas' abortion sonogram law passed last legislative session, some women in rural communities seeking to end their pregnancies relied on telemedicine, with physicians — working in partnership with medical technicians or nurses — administering prescription drugs via videoconference to induce early-stage abortions.
If new legislation filed by Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, passes in 2013, women in remote corners of the state may have even fewer options to get the procedure.
2011's abortion sonogram law — another measure Patrick championed — requires that a physician, as opposed to a technician or nurse, perform a sonogram on a woman seeking an abortion at least ...
Comments (13)
Russell Crawford
The good news regarding abortion is that the issue has been resloved by scientific law. In fact 6 scientific laws control the impact that abortion has on society. For this reason all anti abortion bills that are currently in progress should be removed from consideration and those that have been passed should be repealed.
It is a scientific fact that until the DNA of the genotype expresses the correct phenotype, the product of conception cannot be proved to be human or alive.
And it is a fact that pro lifers have a choice, they may save a born baby or they may allow it to die and force the birth of a dead fetus.
Pro lifers simply kill born life in an effort to force the birth of a fetus that cannot be proved to be alive or human. http://www.naturalabortionlaws.com http://www.facebook.com/naturalabortionlaw
jpt51
What is missing from Mr Patrick's position is any discussion of things he'll do to reduce the factors which cause women to consider an abortion. Shelters space is far inadequate as is job twining programs. Stop the pontificating Mr Patrick and show us what you are for! Talk is cheap and so are Republican solutions.
Michael B Openshaw
Folks, it is time some pro-choice people realize something; what an abortion is is a MEDICAL PROCEDURE, whether accomplished with a pill or instruments. And, as such, it has to have some basics standard of medical care applied to it. A doctor cannot properly assess the risks of complications (bleeding, infection, etc.) via TV screens, nor can they do a proper post-procedure followup that way.
Treating abortion as something risk-free and separate from the rest of medical practice is a blind political viewpoint, NOT a medical one. The ethical and Constitutional issues are separate from the FACT that abortion IS a medical procedure; address them that way..
hans5162@ix.netcom.com hans
Dan Patrick has shown the tea party for what it is. They don't care about deficits or economic issues. The only thing they care about is regulating and eliminating family planning. They're about freedom for corporations to do or say whatever they want. They are opposed to freedom for doctors and patients, women and minority voters. They want to regulate the most intimate details of peoples private lives and engage in bedroom surveillance. My solution to the right wing agenda is for everyone to incorporate. Become a corporation and incorporate your children as PCs or LLCs. Then, you can do anything, say anything and screw anything you want.
Rudy Gonzales
Dan Patrick needs to undergo a sex change so that he can experience the joys of intrauterine Sonography. Dan Patrick does not have a medical degree and as such does not have the qualifications or education to direct doctors to perform these procedures. This TEA party fringe is extending his religious beliefs onto others not fully realizing his actions effect many Texans who are not of his religion. Dan Patrick is further inhibiting telemedicine because tele radiography is also being used to diagnose radiographic procedures for a multitude of other purposes. Writing and limiting laws specifically to one narrow set for doctors and medicine proves his skewed vision of the medical world. Dan Patrick must be removed from office for his sexist and racist beliefs.
Lauren Enriquez
The RU-486 or "abortion pill" has been linked with many deaths due to complications occurring after one or both doses is ingested. As such a dangerous medical procedure, I believe Mr. Patrick should be hailed as a WOMEN'S champion by rallying for greater protection and safety on their part when seeking the abortion drug.
As far as the fetus, the way this procedure works is that the first pill cuts off its food supply, effectively starving the preborn fetus, and the second pill (when it works properly) expels the fetus from the woman's body in an extremely uncomfortable induced miscarriage.
This procedure isn't safe for the woman or her child. Mr. Patrick is championing both parties with this legislation.
hans5162@ix.netcom.com hans
Well Lauren. Septicemia hurts too.
The widower of an Indian woman who died in an Irish hospital after being refused an abortion has rejected the terms of a government-ordered investigation into what went wrong.
Praveen Halappanavar says the planned inquiry is unlikely to reach truthful conclusions because it will take place in private, have no witnesses testify under oath, and will include senior doctors at the Galway hospital where Savita Halappanavar died.
She died Oct. 28 from blood poisoning one week after being hospitalized suffering from severe pain and an imminent miscarriage. Her husband says they repeatedly requested an abortion of her 17-week-old fetus but doctors refused because it still had a heartbeat.
Matt Taylor
This article has been linked on thejavelina.com
Lauren Enriquez
As a woman who just gave birth four months ago, I can affirm that the transvaginal sonography "horror" is nothing of the sort-- it is truly a myth. It is not even uncomfortable, much less painful or humiliating. It is extremely discreet. And seeing what is going to take place should a woman choose to abort is an unquestionable element of informed consent.
David Spratt
At some point you have to figure you have done all you can. It is the law of the land, and not going away. I am against the use of public funds and want no part of abortion and nothing to do with those who advocate for it just for convenience sake.
But look on the bright side ,,,, less potential future liberals will be born. Atheists and liberals who adhere to this idea of abortion could potentially become extinct ?
Samdavis
Well Lauren, you go grovel at his feet. Patrick has shown a typical TEA Party lack of concern for the realities of women's health in Texas. While he and other Baptists pontificate about how they want things to be, women are being denied birth control and other vital medical services.
Jim Baxa
@TexasTribune, why are you so concerned about rural women having a harder time in murdering their babies? Could it be that you are biased? Abortion is murder plain and simple. Increased scientific knowledge since Roe v Wade in 1973 has proven that the fetus is 1) human (DNA proves this) and 2) alive (the fetus meets all 7 criteria to biologically determine what living is).
Russell Crawford has no clue what he is talking about with the genotype/phenotype argument. His argument will justify the mass killing of children and those with handicaps.
Christine Lund
Nobody is forcing Dan to have an abortion. He needs to get out of the conversation. Abortion is a personal choice that no man has any say about.