Abortion

Sioux Falls Argus Leader Examines Role Of South Dakota Physicians In Abortion Ban Debate

2007-05-07T11:03:00.001-07:00

Several South Dakota physicians have "lined up on opposite sides" of the state's law (HB 1215) that bans abortion except to save a woman's life and are "lending their personal and medical opinions to a cause in which they believe," the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. According to Ken Aspaas, president of the South Dakota State Medical Association, the abortion ban debate has divided the state's medical community. Publicly, the association "has taken a largely hands-off approach to the subject of abortion," after "heated" discussions among its members in recent months, according to the Argus Leader. However, the SDSMA in June released a statement "strongly condemn[ing]" interference by the government or any person in a medical decision, according to the Argus Leader. Some physicians are worried about the ban's effect, "especially when they deem the procedure to be medically necessary for the health of the pregnant woman," the Argus Leader reports. Supporters of the ban have pointed to a report released last year by the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion, which included testimony from physicians that women could experience potentially harmful emotional and mental problems from undergoing the procedure, according to the Argus Leader. The task force was appointed by Gov. Mike Rounds (R) and was co-chaired by Maria Bell -- a Sioux Falls ob-gyn who also is the co-chair of the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, the group that organized the petition drive that brought the abortion ban onto the state ballot (Myers, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 7/16).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Early Fetal Gender Test Demands Rapid Ethical Policymaking

2007-05-07T10:03:00.001-07:00

This alert highlights the research published this week in a special issue of Prenatal Diagnosis entitled, Fetal Sexing: Global Perspectives on Practices, Ethics and Policy. The special issue arose out of a workshop organized as part of the SAFE network of excellence.

Reviews highlighted in this newsalert:

* Early pregnancy maternal blood test for fetal gender demands rapid ethical policy-making. The sex of a 5-7 week embryo can be determined by a new test - about two months earlier than was possible with ultrasound. But should we use this new technology 'just because it is there?'

* Sex selection â€" liberally ok but not without problems. Sex selection fits with a liberal view of permission in reproduction, but using abortion as part of the process is less defensible and may degrade our value of human life.

* Will easier access to more effective sex selection affect gender balance? Probably not. Increasing ease of travel to countries with lax rules on sex selection makes it possible for wealthy couples to have a baby of the desired sex. But surveys that ask whether people would prefer to have a boy or a girl show that, at least in Western countries, the sex-ratio is unlikely to change considerably.

* Most people do not favour sex selection. Surveys conducted to date show that, overall, people have negative attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons, particular if the method involves terminating a pregnancy.

Lyn Chitty, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Genetics and Fetal Medicine at the UCL Institute of Child Health, London, says, "this Special Topic issue presents a range of papers that discuss the scientific, social and political implications of fetal sex selection. It begins by describing the technological advances that have made early non-invasive fetal sex determination a practical, reliable and safe option for women at high risk of sex-linked disorders if the test is performed in accredited and experienced laboratories.

It then goes on to explore the views of clinicians, scientists and social scientists as well as the evidence from the developed and developing world on the potential impact of this technology if used for non-medical reasons.

It gives no answers and, to quote the editors of this issue - 'It remains to be seen whether the triumph of modern science to allow fetal sexing at increasingly early stages of gestation will be seen as a triumph, allowing those at risk for sex-linked disorders to learn of the health of their fetus at the earliest point possible, or a tyranny, making simpler the selective termination of female fetuses with its attendant social and political consequences.'"

Early pregnancy maternal blood test for fetal gender demands rapid ethical policy-making

The sex of a 5-7 week embryo can be determined by a new test - about two months earlier than was possible with ultrasound. "It is imperative that an authorized committee of experts in each country generates and official policy regarding use of this test," says Dr. Esther Guetta from the Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, in Israel, writing in the latest edition of Prenatal Diagnosis.

To understand the test you need to know two things:

1. Fragments of DNA from an embryo can be found circulating in its mother's blood.

2. While males have an X and a Y chromosome, females only have two X chromosomes.

If you take a sample of a pregnant woman's blood plasma and find DNA that is only present in males, the woman is most probably carrying a male fetus.

Unlike other highly accurate invasive tests, this test poses no risk to the embryo. It can also be carried out early in pregnancy. Add these together and it is likely therefore to become popular with anyone who is prepared to use abortion as a way of choosing their child's sex.

"We need to think about this quickly because the technology is already with us," says Guetta. In the USA, for example, some mail order products already use this sort of technology.

"Should this new technology be applied 'just because it is there'?" asks Guetta.

Review Title: Guetta, E: Noninvasive detection of fetal sex: The laboratory diagnostician's view: Prenatal Diagnosis DOI: 10.1002/pd.1478

Sex selection - liberally ok, but not without problems

Sex selection fits with a liberal view of permission in reproduction, but using abortion as part of the process is much less defensible and is liable to degrade the value of human life. This is the conclusion of Thomas Baldwin who works in the Department of Philosophy at the University of York, England.

While there is reasonable acceptance of sex selection to help parents avoid passing on a genetic disease to their children, many surveys show that people do not welcome the possibility of sex selection merely to choose the sex of a child.

In order to understand the opposition to sex selection, Baldwin considers the arguments against sex selection in four key areas:

1. religion - Baldwin believes that religious arguments by themselves should not be used to drive public policy in a liberal secular state, but suggests that the main religiously-derived arguments are taken into account in secular ethical debates.

2. social consequences - some people argue that a serious objection to sex selection is that it will lead to a substantial imbalance of boys over girls within society. Baldwin, however, argues that if sex selection is primarily used for family balancing, the numbers of boys and girls in Western societies will not become unbalanced.

3. child's autonomy - it is argued that deciding a child's sex violates his or her autonomy by imposing a particular destiny on the child. Baldwin rejects this view largely by pointing out that there are many ways during our upbringing in which parents influence who we become. Sex selection is therefore not introducing something radically new, although it does extend parental influence into a new dimension.

4. children as a commodity - still others argue that sex selection turns the child into a commodity that has been designed to satisfy a need and thus that parents will not give their child the unconditioned love it needs. But the connections here are not inevitable, and it may equally be argued that enabling parents to have the kind of child they want increases the chances of them giving their child the love it needs.

Since these objections are not decisive, Baldwin concludes that the liberal argument for permitting sex selection is the reasonable position to take, though its use should be restricted for the moment to family balancing situations. When it comes to looking at methods of sex selection, Baldwin believes that there is nothing problematic in any method that does not destroy an embryo or fetus.

Once an embryo has been implanted and allowed to develop, however, termination of the pregnancy merely for the purpose of sex selection is in principle wrong. But he accepts that the combination of new non-invasive methods of testing with over the counter hormone abortion kits will make sex selection by early abortion something that is in practice impossible to stop.

"Since there are no straightforward victims, it is a mistake to try and enforce its prevention," says Baldwin. "We will just have to learn to live with the resulting degradation of the value of human life."

Review Title: Baldwin, T: Understanding the opposition: Prenatal Diagnosis, DOI: 10.1002/pd.1473

Will easier access to more effective sex selection affect gender balance? Probably not ..

Increasing ease of travel to countries with lax rules on sex selection makes it possible for wealthy couples to have a baby of the desired sex. But surveys that ask whether people would prefer to have a boy or a girl show that, at least in Western countries, the sex-ratio is unlikely to change considerably.

The desire to choose the sex of our offspring is not new - it has been part of human culture for millennia. However until recently there has been no successful method of achieving this goal.

Now that methods, like sperm selection and non-invasive methods of testing an embryo's sex, are becoming available, the issue is moving from one of mild interest, to one that needs serious consideration.

"It will be very difficult for governments to stop people who want to use these new techniques," says Frank van Balen who works at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The question then is whether this use will alter the gender balance within the population.

Many initial comments suggest that these tools will create a population with more boys than girls, but van Balen thinks this is not necessarily the case.

While 'son preference' tends to be stronger that 'daughter preference', recent surveys show increased 'daughter preference' particularly among women. Given that abortion laws give the woman the decision-making power over a termination, the argument that sex selection should be barred because it would discriminate against women may not be so strong.

'Light' sex selection methods, especially those known not to be effective, enjoy a high degree of social acceptance. But it will also be interesting to see how attitudes change as people get used to the presence of technologies that 'work'.

Review Title: Van Balen, F: Attitudes towards sex selection in the Western world: Prenatal Diagnosis, DOI: 10.1002/pd.1471

Most people do not favour sex selection

Surveys conducted to date show that, overall, people have negative attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons, particular if the method involves terminating a pregnancy. This was the main conclusion of a review that drew together data from 21 separate studies. The research was carried out by Dr Sue Hall and colleagues working in the Department of Psychology at Guy's College London.

"Some of the studies show that while people may be in favour of the general principle of reproductive choice, they feel that they would not use sex selection themselves," says Hall.

The surveys cover a range of time from 1971 to 2005. Sixteen were carried out in the USA, 4 in Germany and 1 in the UK. Attitudes were particularly negative in Germany.

"People's attitudes become more negative when the methods used to select the gender of a child are explained - eg the cost and effort involved, the unreliability of sperm sorting or the need for termination of pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis," says Hall. "People are particularly reluctant to endorse prenatal diagnosis and abortion for sex selection."

Earlier this month MP Caroline Flint declared that choosing the sex of a baby for social reasons would be banned and the Department of Health has been conducting a review of the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act - the legislation governing human fertilisation.

"Such debates need to consider the way that policy, guidelines and legal frameworks drawn up to work with Western attitudes and cultures will impact regions of the world that have more positive attitudes toward sex selection such as India and China," says Hall.

Review Title: Hall, S: Attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons: a review, DOI: 10.1002/pd.1472

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Notes to Editors

1. Special Issue: Prenatal Diagnosis: Fetal sexing: global perspectives on practices, ethics and policy.

2. Prenatal Diagnosis: The aim of the journal is to communicate the results of original research in a variety of clinical and scientific specialities concerned with in utero diagnosis of fetal abnormality in humans (and in animal models) resulting from genetic and environmental factors. Prenatal Diagnosis can be accessed online at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/pd

3. John Wiley & Sons Ltd., with its headquarters in Chichester, England, is the largest subsidiary of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., provides must-have content and services to customers worldwide. Its core businesses include scientific, technical, and medical journals, encyclopaedias, books, and online products and services; professional and consumer books and subscription services; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley has publishing, marketing, and distribution centres in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb. Wiley's Internet site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com/

4. The Special Non-Invasive Advances in Fetal and Neonatal Evaluation Network (SAFE) is a Network of Excellence established under the European Commission Sixth Framework Programme which aims to implement routine non-invasive prenatal diagnosis and cost effective neonatal screening through the creation of long-term partnerships.

The SAFE network will develop a series of measures to enable the rapid introduction of Non-Invasive Prenatal Diagnosis (NIPD) and Neonatal Screening (NS) throughout the EU and beyond. At present NIPD , based on a pioneering observation that circulatory cell free fetal DNA is present in maternal plasma and serum, has already begun to impact clinical practice. It started on 1 March 2004, will run for 5 years and has 53 partners from 19 countries currently participating. One of the reasons for the setting up the network is that relevant knowledge is dispersed across many disciplines, including molecular biology, medical genetics, bioinformatics, social justice, and ethical studies. SAFE brings together leading experts from the key disciplines in a programme designed to achieve intellectual and practical integration with a view to enhance the efficacy of NIPD and NS for genetic disorders within and beyond the European Community. For more information please visit: http://www.safenoe.org/

Contact: Polly Young
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Federal Judge Rules Missouri Must Provide Transport For Pregnant Inmates Wishing To Have Abortions

2007-05-07T09:03:00.001-07:00

U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple on Tuesday ruled that the state must provide transportation to clinics for pregnant inmates who wish to have abortions, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Mannies, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/19). The Missouri Department of Corrections in July 2005 adopted a policy barring the use of tax dollars to transport prisoners to undergo abortions. Attorneys for a state prison inmate -- identified as "Jane Roe" in court papers -- filed a lawsuit in October 2005 asking a federal court to order the corrections department to transport the woman to a clinic for an abortion. Whipple agreed to the request. Attorneys for the Missouri Office of the Attorney General unsuccessfully appealed the ruling to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. The woman was about 17 weeks' pregnant and had been seeking an abortion for about seven weeks before she received one (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 10/25/05). The American Civil Liberties Union filed for a federal ruling to make the Jane Roe decision applicable to all pregnant women in the state, which Whipple agreed to, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (Salter, AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/18).

Ruling, Reaction
According to the Kansas City Star, state officials cited security risks when setting the policy barring state-funded transport, but Whipple wrote in his ruling, "In this case, the undisputed evidence shows that inmates who chose to terminate a pregnancy and must be transported outside of prison for that purpose pose no greater security risk than any other inmate that requires outside medical attention." The state also had argued that paying for transport violated a Missouri law that says the state cannot assist in abortions. Whipple noted an 8th Circuit Court ruling in a previous case that said, "We cannot accept the conclusion that 'assisting' an abortion encompasses driving or escorting the patient to the location where the procedure is to take place." A spokesperson for state Attorney General Jay Nixon (R) said officials were examining the ruling and do not know if they will appeal it (Rizzo, Kansas City Star, 7/19). Gov. Matt Blunt (R) in a statement said, "This ruling violates our traditional Missouri values and is an affront to everyone that values the sanctity of human life. I urge the attorney general to fight this ruling that prevents the state of Missouri from protecting innocent human life." ACLU attorney Tom Blumenthal said, "This ruling reaffirms that the state's effort to curtail a woman's constitutional rights are futile and they're wasting time and money when they attempt to do so" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/19).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Trial Postponed For Advocate Who Challenged China's One-Child Policy

2007-05-07T07:03:00.001-07:00

Human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng's trial has been postponed, his attorney, Li Jinsong, said on Thursday, Reuters AlertNet reports (Beck, Reuters AlertNet, 7/20). Chen on July 17 was scheduled to go to trial in Linyi, China, county court in the country's Shandong province, Li said earlier this month. Chen is scheduled to face charges of "willfully harming public property" and "gathering masses to disturb traffic order" after attempting to expose alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement of the country's one-child-per-family policy. The policy seeks to keep China's population -- now 1.3 billion -- at around 1.7 billion by 2050. Ethnic minorities and farmers are the only groups legally exempt from the rule. Chen recorded testimony from men and women in communities in and around Linyi who have experienced forced abortions and sterilizations, as well as had family members captured and tortured after they tried to hide or run from authorities. He was attempting to bring a class-action lawsuit against the Chinese government for alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement. Chen in September 2005 was placed under house arrest for speaking with journalists, government officials and other advocates about the one-child policy. Chinese police formally arrested Chen in June for his attempts to challenge the policy (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/11). According to Li, the county court judge postponed Chen's trial because prosecutors demanded more evidence, Agence France-Presse reports (Agence France-Presse, 7/20). "This shows the Yinan county prosecuting court already realizes the evidence in the existing suit against Chen Guangcheng ... is not enough and needs supplementing," Li said (Reuters AlertNet, 7/20). He added that a new court date has not been scheduled (Olesen, AP/Boston Globe, 7/20). Authorities in Shandong have declined to comment on Chen (Agence France-Presse, 7/20). The U.N. Population Fund has raised Chen's case with the Chinese government several times, and senior U.S. officials also have urged the government to release him (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/10). The New York Times on Thursday profiled Chen and his legal struggle (Kahn, New York Times, 7/20).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Antiabortion Group Protesting For Closure Of Jackson, Miss., Abortion Clinic Denied Restraining Order Against Police

2007-05-07T06:59:00.001-07:00

U.S. District Judge William Barbour on Tuesday denied a request by the antiabortion group Operation Rescue/Operation Save America for a temporary restraining order against the Jackson Police Department for alleged First Amendment violations during the group's eight-day protest targeting the Jackson Women's Health Organization, the only abortion clinic in Mississippi, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports (Cogswell/Rupp, Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 7/19). Six abortion clinics have closed in Mississippi in the past decade, according to National Organization for Women Jackson Chapter President Michelle Colon. The Jackson clinic opened in 1995 and sees about 4,000 women a year, according to NOW President Susan Hill. OSA has said it is targeting the clinic this year to "send a message" to antiabortion advocates "that the battle to end abortion can be won" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/17). OSA filed for the restraining order because it said the police department was treating abortion-rights opponents differently than abortion-rights supporters and did not take action when they received a complaint about violence against an OSA member. Barbour ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove the need for a restraining order. Stephen Crampton, an attorney representing OSA, said he plans to appeal the ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 7/19).

Protests
Police since the protest began on Saturday arrested 14 protesters, the AP/Biloxi Sun Herald reports. There have been reports of slashed tires, a bomb threat and other clashes between abortion-rights opponents and supporters (AP/Biloxi Sun Herald, 7/20). OSA members have been carrying signs and driving a bus that depict pictures of "bloody aborted fetuses," WLBT.com reports (Suares, WLBT.com, 7/19). Protestors on Tuesday outside the state capitol tore up copies of U.S. Supreme Court rulings related to abortion rights, religion in public schools and sodomy, as well as a gay pride flag and a copy of the Quaran, and later burned the items outside the Making Jesus Real Church in Pearl, Miss., according to OSA volunteer Pat McEwen (Gordon, Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 7/20). OSA on Wednesday in small groups protested at 23 locations in the Jackson area -- including the clinic, the police department, Millsaps College, a high school and the Clarion-Ledger office (Gates et al., Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 7/19). The group on Thursday planned to bury a fetus in a local public park, according to the Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life. Jackson police did not say if such a burial was legal, but Cmdr. Lee Vance said, "How somebody would come into possession of a fetus is a legal issue." The clinic on Thursday saw patients from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., according to the Clarion-Ledger (Cogswell/Rupp, Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 7/20). However, National Women's Health Organization security consultant McCoy Faulkner said patients and staff had been verbally mistreated (Rupp/Gates, Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 7/20).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kansas City Star Examines Pregnancy Prevention Program Aimed At Drug Users

2007-05-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Star on Wednesday examined Project Prevention -- a program that offers financial incentives to illicit drug users if they agree to take long-term birth control or undergo sterilization surgery. The group's founder, Barbara Harris, started the program in 1998 in California under the name Children Requiring a Caring Kommunity, or CRACK. According to the Star, Project Prevention now has chapters in 27 states and has paid incentives to almost 1,900 drug users -- most of whom were white, female clients -- in 39 states. Clients can receive $300 annually if they agree to remain on Depo-Provera, a long-birth control shot that is administered every three months, the group says. Project Prevention also pays the same amount to female drug users who agree to undergo sterilization surgery, the Star reports. About 700 women have undergone sterilization surgery as clients of Project Prevention, according to the group. Clients are paid after the group receives paperwork proving they have followed through with the agreement. About 200 clients have enrolled this year in the program, and the group is seeking to end the year with at least 2,006 paid clients, the Star reports. Some critics are concerned the program "is racist, disproportionately focusing on minority women, and preys on people ill-prepared to make life-altering decisions, or those easily swayed by an offer of fast cash," according to the Star. Harris said, "People say we don't have a right to tell them how many children they can have," adding, "I disagree" (Shultz, Kansas City Star, 7/19).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

New Test Spares Couples With Familial Cancer The Trauma Of Termination

2007-04-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

A new way of sparing couples the trauma of having to decide between having a baby with a high risk of developing a form of colorectal cancer later in life, or terminating the pregnancy, will be revealed in June 2006 at the 22nd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Prague, Czech Republic. Professor Stephane Viville, director of the biology of reproduction service at Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France, will tell the conference that, using his team's new test, it will be possible to offer preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to almost all cases of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an adult-onset cancer which represents 1% of all cases of colorectal cancer.

PGD was originally proposed for couples at risk of having a child affected by severe genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, which manifest themselves at birth or in very early childhood. However, it is now possible to test for some diseases that occur at a later stage in life, such as Huntington's disease and some hereditary cancers. "Because the child will carry only a risk - albeit it a high one - of developing these conditions during adulthood, many parents, as well as clinicians, have doubts about terminating such a pregnancy," Professor Viville says. "In fact some couples would prefer not to have children in these circumstances."

Twelve couples with a risk of passing on FAP to any children were referred to Professor Viville and his team between 2000 and 2005. At first the team worked on tests to detect the most common FAP mutation, but then, by carrying out double and triple diagnostic tests on each cell, were able to detect the many rarer mutations that are involved in familial cases. "Because the pathology is dominant, and only one member of the couple is affected and at risk of transmitting the disease," said Professor Viville, "we only have to look for one mutation at a time.

"But there are a number of these mutations and therefore it is necessary to develop a different test for each if we are to be sure that PGD will be effective. Our test is very robust as well as being technically innovative - for the first time in this disease we have been able to use molecular technology at the single cell level, which allows us to detect mutations that are otherwise very difficult to identify."

The team started eleven IVF cycles, of which nine gave rise to embryo biopsy and eight had an embryo transfer. From these, one boy has been born and two other pregnancies are on-going. Reanalysis of eleven un-transferred embryos confirmed PGD results for FAP mutations.

"We are now able to propose PGD to most couples at risk of transmitting a familial form of FAP to their children", says Professor Viville. "With our experience growing all the time, we hope that we will shortly be able to develop new protocols which will enable us to offer PGD for all mutations involved in FAP, including those which occur for the first time."

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Contact: Mary Rice
European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology

Catholic Cardinal McCarrick Restates Policy Leaving Decision To Refuse Communion To Politicians Who Support Abortion Rights To Local Bishop

2007-04-16T16:43:00.001-07:00

Washington, D.C., Cardinal Theodore McCarrick on Thursday at a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Los Angeles reiterated a policy approved by the bishops in 2004 that the decision to deny communion to Roman Catholic politicians who support abortion rights is up to the local bishop, Reuters/ABC News reports (Serjeant, Reuters/ABC News, 6/15). The USCCB in June 2004 at a closed meeting in Colorado voted to approve a statement saying that Catholic politicians should work against legalized abortion "lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good." However, the statement also said the decision to deny Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should be left to individual bishops (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/20/04). A task force on Catholics in public life, which McCarrick chairs, has been investigating the issue. McCarrick said there is "no substitute for the local bishop's pastoral judgment and his vital relationships with Catholic public officials in his own diocese." He added, "My concern is the fear that the intense polarization and bitter battles of partisan politics may be seeping into the broader ecclesial life of our Catholic people and maybe even of our conference. Our concern is not politics, nor just particular policies, but their faith and even their salvation. These dialogues are not about winning votes but saving souls." The task force has written a booklet, "Readings on Catholics and Political Life," that has been distributed to every Catholic member of Congress. The church also is arranging education and information sessions on Capitol Hill about Catholic teachings. McCarrick said the church needs "more, not fewer Catholics in political life" and announced that the task force is ending its work (Reuters/ABC News, 6/15).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Women's Health Policy Issues Related To 2006 Elections

2007-04-16T16:03:00.001-07:00

The following highlights recent election-related news on women's health issues.

Arkansas: State Sen. Gunner DeLay (R), who is running against state Rep. Dustin McDaniel (D) for Arkansas attorney general, recently said McDaniel "wants to interject himself into the legislative process," because of recent comments McDaniel made about abortion rights, the AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal reports (DeMillo, AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal, 6/15). McDaniel during a 30-minute radio debate last week with Paul Suskie (D), who was challenging McDaniel in the Democratic primary, said he thinks the attorney general's office plays a role in keeping abortion accessible to women in the state. "I do believe a woman has a right to make her own medical decisions," McDaniel said, adding, "I will provide as much counsel and leadership to the [state] Legislature as possible" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/14). McDaniel -- who narrowly defeated Suskie in the primary -- on Wednesday said DeLay wants to focus the campaign on "divisive issues," adding, "There's nothing Gunner DeLay would love more than spending the next five months talking about abortion" (DeMillo, AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal, 6/15).

Iowa: Secretary of State Chet Culver (D) and Rep. Jim Nussle (R) on Saturday formally received their respective parties' nominations for governor, the AP/WQAD.com reports (Glover, AP/WQAD.com, 6/17). Nussle during an interview with Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Press" said that he supports requiring minors to receive parental consent before undergoing an abortion. He added that the focus should be on trying to reduce the number of abortions performed in the state (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/13). Culver -- who won the Democratic nomination for governor against former U.S. Rep. Mike Blouin and state Rep. Ed Fallon -- has said he would favor retracting a law signed in 2002 by Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) that bans human embryonic stem cell research (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/8).

Maine: State Sen. Chandler Woodcock last week won the Republican nomination for governor, beating former Rep. David Emery and state Sen. Peter Mills, the Bangor Daily News reports. Meanwhile, Gov. John Baldacci won the Democratic nomination over Chris Miller (Bangor Daily News, 6/14). Woodcock during a debate earlier this month with Emery and Mills said he opposes abortion rights except in cases of rape or incest or if the woman's life is in danger, adding that his position on the issue has not changed throughout the campaign. Baldacci has said he supports Maine's abortion-related laws in their current form (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/8). Emery and Mills have pledged to assist Woodcock in his campaign, the Daily News reports (Bangor Daily News, 6/14).

Michigan: Jerry Zandstra (R), who recently withdrew his name from the U.S. Senate race, on Saturday in a message to his supporters said that he plans to establish a political action committee that will work toward banning abortion in the state, AP/MLive.com reports. Zandstra earlier this month withdrew from the race -- against Oakland Country, Mich., Sheriff Mike Bouchard (R) and Minister Keith Butler (R) -- after the Board of State Canvassers ruled that he was 712 signatures short of the 15,000 required to qualify for the Republican primary in August. Zandstra has supported an effort by Citizens for Life to put on the November ballot an issue that aims to legally define human life as beginning at conception. Right to Life of Michigan has said Citizens for Life's campaign is unnecessary because the state has a law that could ban abortion if Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that effectively outlawed state abortion bans -- is overturned. Zandstra has criticized RTL for its position, which led the organization to remove him from its endorsement list, despite initially endorsing all three Republicans in the race. Butler has signed the Citizens for Life petition and remains on RTL's endorsement list. Bouchard's campaign says he has not signed the petition because he supports RTL's stance on the issue. The winner of the primary will face U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) in November (Barks Hoffman, AP/MLive.com, 6/17).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Canadian Sales Of Plan B Since Nonprescription Access Granted Have Almost Doubled, Figures Say

2007-04-16T14:03:00.001-07:00

Canadian sales of Barr Laboratories subsidiary Duramed Pharmaceuticals' emergency contraceptive Plan B -- which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse -- have increased since nonprescription sales of the drug were approved in the country, according to figures released on Monday by DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions, a company that sells drugs through its Web site, the Boston Globe reports (Henderson, Boston Globe, 6/21). Canada's national health agency, Health Canada, in April 2005 approved Plan B for use without a doctor's prescription, allowing the pills to be sold at pharmacies nationwide (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/21/05). Duramed in January 2005 sold 23,000 pills to retail pharmacies, compared with 41,000 pills currently sold by Canadian pharmacies monthly, the DoctorSolve figures say. A Barr spokesperson said the company does not track product transfers to Duramed but added that inventory figures corroborate DoctorSolve's figures. Judith Soon -- an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia who is in the process of evaluating EC use -- said data from the health care information firm IMS Health also confirms an increase in sales of Plan B in Canada after nonprescription access was granted in Canada. Soon said, "As many states border on Canadian provinces, it is likely that [U.S.] women obtain Plan B treatments by crossing the border or though Internet pharmacies." Soon said it is not possible to measure that potential trend (Boston Globe, 6/21).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

South Dakota Abortion-Rights Supporters Discuss Plan To Overturn State Law Banning Procedure

2007-04-16T12:03:00.001-07:00

South Dakota abortion-rights advocates on Thursday at a Planned Parenthood Federation of America-sponsored panel discussion in Washington, D.C., outlined a strategy for overturning a ban (HB 1215) that bars abortion in the state except to save a woman's life, CNS News reports (Burchfiel, CNS News, 6/23). South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson (R) on Monday certified that petitioners of the state ban had submitted more than the 16,728 signatures required to place the law on hold and put it on a statewide ballot in November. The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, a coalition of opponents of the ban, last month filed the petition. Nelson needed to validate the signatures in order to suspend the law pending the outcome of the referendum. Opponents gathered more than 38,000 signatures out of 500,000 registered voters in the state (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/21). Abortion-rights advocates on Monday said they were hopeful for a successful outcome of the referendum (CNS News, 6/23). "We believe this is the moment for us in South Dakota," Sarah Stoesz, president of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, said, adding that the group will "pursue a legal battle if we lose, because we intend to keep our clinic." Al Quinlan, a Democratic pollster who has conducted research for PPMNS, said South Dakota is divided about the ban. He added that PPMNS plans to "make sure people know this is going to put South Dakota in the middle of a terrible, national political debate that is going to cost the state a lot of money." Leslee Unruh, president of the Abstinence Clearinghouse in Sioux Falls, said, "It's too late to worry about us being in the spotlight. Our polling shows that South Dakotans will stick to their values" (Jalonick, AP/Yankton Daily News, 6/22). Jim Sedlak, vice president of the American Life League, said he thinks PPMNS has "absolutely zero" chance of defeating the ban, noting that "[e]very legislator who supported the abortion ban and was challenged won their primary and four legislators who were opposed to the abortion ban lost their primary elections" (CNS News, 6/23).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Warren Buffet To Give About $3B To Susan Thompson Buffet Foundation, More Than $30B To Gates Foundation

2007-04-16T11:16:00.001-07:00

Berkshire Hathaway Chair Warren Buffett on Sunday in a letter disclosed that he plans to donate stock currently valued at about $3 billion to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which is named after his late wife and supports reproductive health and rights, family planning and college scholarship programs, the Wall Street Journal reports (Richardson, Wall Street Journal, 6/26). Warren Buffett's donation will be added to the $2.5 billion bestowed to the foundation in the will of Susan Thompson Buffett, who in 2004 died of a stroke (Loomis [1], Fortune, 6/25). The Buffett Foundation has been a "quiet force" in population control and has made "substantial donations" to organizations that support abortion rights, according to the Journal (Wall Street Journal, 6/26). In the past, the Buffets' philanthropic efforts reportedly have contributed to the Center for Reproductive Rights in support of its court battle to overturn Nebraska's ban on so-called "partial-birth" abortion; the ban was overturned in 2001. Their foundation also has given money to Ipas, the Population Council, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Family Health International, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Catholics for a Free Choice and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. In addition, they funded millions of dollars to help mifepristone, which causes a medical abortion when taken in conjunction with the drug misoprostol, win FDA approval (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/25/03).

Donation Given To Gates Foundation
Many observers had expected Buffett to give most of his money to the Buffett Foundation, but on Sunday he disclosed that his biggest donation will be stock valued at $30.7 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works on global health and poverty issues, the Chicago Tribune reports (Miller, Chicago Tribune, 6/26). Buffet said, "If I had died before Susie and she had begun to distribute our wealth, this is the foundation that would have scaled up to a much bigger size," adding, "I came to realize that there was a terrific foundation that was already scaled up ... and that could productively use my money now." Buffett Foundation President Allen Greenberg has "done an excellent and thoughtful job of running it," Buffet said, adding, "His results-to-cost ratio is as good as I've ever seen. And he'll keep on that same path now, not just with Susie's money, but with mine too" (Loomis [2], Fortune, 6/25). Buffett also announced that he plans to give $1.07 billion each to foundations run by his three children -- the Howard G. Buffet Foundation, the Susan A. Buffet Foundation and the NoVo Foundation, according to the Tribune. The foundations support the arts, child protection, education and the environment (Chicago Tribune, 6/26).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Los Angeles Times Examines Unintended Pregnancy Among Low-Income Women

2007-04-16T11:03:00.001-07:00

The Los Angeles Times on Monday examined unintended pregnancy among low-income women in the U.S. According to a report released earlier this month by the Guttmacher Institute, a disparity exists between low-income and affluent women in their ability to control their fertility. The report finds that while unintended pregnancy and abortion rates have decreased among teenagers, college graduates and women in the middle or upper class, the rate has increased almost 30% among low-income women, the Times reports. Researchers found that low-income women are four times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy and three times as likely to undergo an abortion as women who are more affluent, according to the Times. Guttmacher analysts believe that a lack of affordable contraception is one of the main reasons for the disparity. However, some public health officials have said that increased funding for contraception is not necessarily the solution, according to the Times. Contraception alone, provided at no cost, will not lower the rate of unintended pregnancies, former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher said, adding that low-income women also must build confidence and self-esteem, so they will want to prevent unintended pregnancies. "To gain control of these issues, you really have to get beyond sex," Satcher said, adding, "You have to dig deep and look at what's happening in their lives, their relationships and their minds." According to the Times, even when low-income women have access to birth control, "they are often ambivalent about using it -- or too disorganized to remember." Cynthia Harper, an assistant professor at the Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy at the University of California-San Francisco, said, "To get people to use contraceptives is an effort." In addition, "you'll find almost no intervention or prevention programs targeted at older women," even though women age 20 and older account for about 80% of all unintended pregnancies, according to Laura Gaydos of Emory University. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates devote 30% of a $49 million educational budget to women age 20 and older, and the rest of their budget is geared toward teens, the Times reports (Simon, Los Angeles Times, 6/26).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

U.S. Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Appeal Regarding 'Choose Life' License Plates

2007-04-16T10:23:00.001-07:00

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied an appeal by abortion-rights advocates to block states from producing and selling "Choose Life" specialty license plates, the Los Angeles Times reports (Savage, Los Angeles Times, 6/27). The justices refused to look at lawsuits from Louisiana and Tennessee, thereby closing the cases -- Keeler v. Stalder, New Life Resources v. American Civil Liberties Union and American Civil Liberties Union v. Bredesen -- and allowing lower court rulings to stand, according to the AP/San Jose Mercury News (Holland, AP/San Jose Mercury News, 6/26).

Louisiana
In the Louisiana case, attorneys from the Center for Reproductive Rights in March 2003 filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state's entire specialty license plate system. U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval in July 2003 ruled that the system violates the First Amendment right to free speech because the state Legislature "chooses who gets specialty tags -- along with part of the money from their sales." A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans in April 2005 reversed the decision, saying that the case is a state tax dispute that must be decided by state courts and sent the case back to Duval with instructions to dismiss it. Abortion-rights advocates in May 2005 asked the entire appeals court to reconsider the panel's decision. The 5th Circuit Court in December 2005 split 8-8 on whether to review a decision that allows Louisiana to sell the plates in the state, leaving the prior ruling intact (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 12/22/05).

Tennessee
In the Tennessee case, a three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati in March voted 2-1 to uphold to uphold a state statute authorizing the production and sale of Choose Life plates, which was enacted by the state Legislature in 2003. Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) allowed it to become law without his signature. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America and ACLU in November 2003 filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to prevent the state from distributing the plates, arguing that the manner in which the state approves license plates is unconstitutional and allows the state to endorse some political issues while ignoring others. U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell in September 2004 ruled that the law is unconstitutional because the government is engaging in "viewpoint discrimination." New Life Resources, a group associated with Tennessee Right to Life and a beneficiary of the money collected through the sale of the plates, appealed Campbell's ruling. The group contends the plate's message is similar to government-sponsored public service announcements urging people to quit smoking or students to stay in school (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/31).

Next Steps
The Supreme Court's refusal, which was made without comment, to consider the appeals means the plaintiffs have no more opportunities to appeal in the federal court system, according to Bill Rittenberg, an attorney representing CRR, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Rittenberg said the next step is to bring a state challenge to Louisiana's system of allowing specialty tags only for groups allowed by the state Legislature, according to the Times-Picayune. Kris Wartelle -- a spokesperson for the Louisiana attorney general's office, which has defended the law in federal court -- said that the state is prepared to do the same in a state court challenge. She added that the sale of Choose Life plates resumed in Louisiana in January after the 5th Circuit Court's Decision (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 6/27).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Warner Receives Patent Challenge On Oral Contraceptive

2007-04-16T10:03:00.001-07:00

U.K. pharmaceutical company Warner Chilcott on Friday said Watson Pharmaceuticals has issued a patent challenge to the company for its oral contraceptive Loestrin 24 FE, the AP/MSNBC.com reports. According to the AP/MSNBC.com, Warner released Loestrin 24 FE in April and holds a patent that does not expire until 2014. Watson has given Warner notice that it is filing an application to make a generic version of Loestrin, which means that Watson is claiming either that it is not infringing on Warner's patent by producing a generic version of the drug or that the patent is invalid, the AP/MSNBC.com reports. Warner has 45 days to file patent litigation (AP/MSNBC.com, 6/23).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

NPR's 'Morning Edition' Examines Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation's Contributions To Organizations Supporting Abortion Rights

2007-04-16T09:15:00.001-07:00

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Tuesday examined the work of the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which has operated "quietly" as a "major funder of abortion-rights-related causes," and the implications of Berkshire Hathaway Chair Warren Buffett's plans to donate stock currently valued at about $3 billion to the Buffett Foundation (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 6/27). Buffett on Sunday in a letter disclosed that he would give the stock to the foundation, which is named after his late wife and supports reproductive health and rights, family planning and college scholarship programs. Warren Buffett's donation will be added to the $2.5 billion bestowed to the foundation in the will of Susan Thompson Buffett, who died of a stroke in 2004. In the past, the Buffetts' philanthropic efforts reportedly have contributed to the Center for Reproductive Rights in support of its court battle to overturn Nebraska's ban on so-called "partial-birth" abortion; the ban was overturned in 2001. Their foundation also has given money to Ipas, the Population Council, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Family Health International, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Catholics for a Free Choice and the National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy. In addition, they funded millions of dollars to help mifepristone, which causes a medical abortion when taken in conjunction with the drug misoprostol, win FDA approval. Many observers had expected Buffett to give most of his money to the Buffett Foundation, but on Sunday he disclosed that his biggest donation will be stock valued at $30.7 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works on global health and poverty issues (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/26).

Funding for Training, Research and Policy
Ellen Chesler, author of "Women of Valor: Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement in America" and board member of the PPFA, said that the Buffett Foundation's donations have trained a new generation of physicians to perform abortions "at a time when the first pioneering generation of doctors who did it out of a sense of moral obligation is retiring and not being replaced." Chesler said that in addition to funding for research and training, the Buffett Foundation provided funding for policy efforts to bolster abortion-rights supporters' efforts in the U.S. political debate, "which was being heavily influenced by huge amounts of money being poured into conservative institutions that were opposing abortion rights and family planning." The NPR segment also includes comments from Jeff Krehely, deputy director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, and Frances Kissling, president of CFFC ("Morning Edition," NPR, 6/27).

The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Chinese Legislative Committee Drops Provision That Would Have Criminalized Fetal Gender Identification For Nonmedical Reasons

2007-04-16T09:03:00.001-07:00

The Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, the country's legislature, recently voted to remove a provision from an amendment to the country's criminal law that would have criminalized the act of identifying the gender of embryos and fetuses for nonmedical reasons, Xinhua/People's Daily Online reports (Xinhua/People's Daily Online, 6/26). Chinese lawmakers in March 2005 proposed criminalizing the detection of a fetus' gender for nonmedical reasons in order to prevent sex-selective abortion and ease the resulting gender imbalance in the country. Although sex-selective abortion is banned in China, the increasing availability of technologies such as ultrasound procedures has made it easier to learn the sex of a fetus early in pregnancy. Currently, physicians who help patients determine a fetus' sex for nonmedical reasons face only administrative penalties. According to the latest government statistics, 119 boys are born for every 100 girls born in the country, and the disparity is even greater in some rural areas (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/1/05). The worldwide ratio is about 105 boys to 100 girls (AP/China Post, 6/25). Zhou Kunren, vice chair of the Law Committee of the standing committee, said disagreements remain between lawmakers over the proposal, which would have punished people involved with sex-selective abortion with three years in prison. According to the China Daily, some family planning officials and legislators support the proposal because of the gender imbalance, but other experts say that pregnant women should have the right to know the sex of the fetus (Sun, China Daily, 6/26).

Advocate Who Challenged China's One-Child Policy Formally Arrested
In other China news, Chinese police have formally arrested human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng, who has spoken out against China's one-child-per-family policy, his wife, Yuan Weijing, said Saturday, the Washington Post reports (Washington Post, 6/25). The one-child policy seeks to keep China's population, now 1.3 billion, at around 1.7 billion by 2050. Ethnic minorities and farmers are the only groups legally exempt from the rule. Chen, who is blind, recorded testimony from men and women in communities in and around Linyi, China, who have undergone forced abortions and sterilizations, as well as had family members captured and tortured after they tried to hide or run from authorities. He is attempting to bring a class-action lawsuit against the Chinese government for alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement. He was placed under house arrest in September 2005 for speaking with journalists, government officials and other advocates about the one-child policy (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/6). Chen has been in police custody since March under charges of "willingly harming public property" and "disturbing social order," according to advocate Zeng Jingyan (Agence France-Presse, 6/24). Li Jinsong, one of Chen's attorneys who has been briefly detained himself, said a policeman warned Chen that in prison "it is easy for people to die" and that if he did not confess he would not "come out alive." Li on Sunday said that Chen's defense team is unable to sue over threats to his life (Graham-Harrison, Reuters AlertNet, 6/25).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

New York Times Features Author's Abortion Experience, Decision To Remain Pregnant

2007-04-16T08:13:00.001-07:00

Kathryn Rhett, author of the memoir "Near Breathing," on Sunday in a New York Times opinion piece wrote about her experiences undergoing an abortion in college and choosing not to have the procedure during a subsequent pregnancy. According to Rhett, the first time she sought an abortion was after neglecting to use birth control one "unexpected and regrettable" night in college. The second time she considered abortion, she was age 40, married and the mother of two children. Rhett said that after making appointments in two cities, she decided not to undergo the procedure. She said that after her combined experiences, other women "comforted me with their stories as I came to accept my secret and commonplace plight." She concludes, "If I'd had a second abortion, almost no one would have known. ... [A]nd, however much I might have to say, I wouldn't tell the story" (Rhett, New York Times, 6/25).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

AP/Washington Post Examines Role Of Abortion-Related Issues In Elections

2007-04-16T08:03:00.001-07:00

The AP/Washington Post on Friday examined the efforts of groups that oppose abortion rights to "ensure that President Bush's sagging popularity won't harm" midterm re-election campaigns for incumbents who oppose abortion rights. Karen Cross, political director for the National Right to Life Committee, speaking on Friday at the group's annual conference in Nashville, Tenn., said, "It's going to be a difficult year. ... We're going to try to protect our pro-life incumbents and win open seats and defeat pro-abortion candidates or incumbents." According to the AP/Post, some abortion-rights opponents "credit Bush with doing all he can to reshape the federal courts with antiabortion-rights judges." Bush on Friday by recorded video message to NRLC's conference attendees applauded the group for its efforts to ban abortion and cited his own efforts to ban so-called "partial-birth" abortion. "Human life is the gift of creation, and it deserves protection at all its stages," Bush said. Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that she expects abortion rights to be a pivotal issue in the midterm elections and that a reaction against Republicans could harm the campaigns of candidates who do not support abortion rights. "We are confident that America's pro-choice majority will go to the polls in November to elect candidates who share their mainstream values," she said (French, AP/Washington Post, 6/23).

South Dakota
Summaries of articles on abortion-related election issues in South Dakota appear below.

Democrats: The state Democratic Party on Saturday at its convention approved a resolution saying how to vote on a November ballot measure related to upholding the state's ban (HB 1215) on abortion is a matter of individual choice, the AP/Rapid City Journal reports. According to the resolution, state Democratic Party members should thoroughly examine the issue before voting. The party on Sunday also approved a resolution saying that Democrats think that with regard to birth- and death-related issues, the state should respect the "conscience" of individuals, families and doctors. State Rep. Dale Hargens, the House Democratic leader, said the party believes people should be permitted to decide individually on abortion, adding, "We encourage you to vote your conscience" (Kafka, AP/Rapid City Journal, 6/27).

Republicans: The state Republican Party on Friday at its convention approved a resolution urging voters to uphold the abortion ban through the support of the ballot measure, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports. State Delegate Talmadge Ekanger said the state party cannot compromise on abortion rights, adding that the party's stance against abortion rights "is the reason I'm Republican" (Brokaw, AP/Contra Costa Times, 6/23).

House Republicans Plan Floor Votes On Fetal Pain, Human Cloning Measures

2007-04-16T07:08:00.001-07:00

House Republicans this summer plan to bring to a vote a series of bills they are calling the "American Values Agenda," which include a bill (HR 356) that would require some women seeking abortion to be told the procedure can cause fetal pain and a bill (HR 1357) that would ban human cloning, the AP/ABC News reports (Espo, AP/ABC News, 6/27). The fetal pain bill would require abortion providers to tell women seeking the procedure at 20 weeks' gestation or later that there is "substantial evidence" that fetuses can feel "substantial pain" during abortion procedures (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/24/05). Both of the bills are expected to be debated on the House floor "in the coming weeks and months," according to the office of House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) (CongressDaily, 6/28). "Through this agenda, we will work to protect the faith of our people, the sanctity of life and freedoms outlined by our founding fathers," House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said (Hastert release, 6/27).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Issues In Various States

2007-04-16T07:03:00.001-07:00

The following highlights recent state news on women's health issues.

Abortion

Michigan: The state Department of Community Health recently announced that in 2005, 25,209 abortions were performed in Michigan, the lowest number of recorded abortions since the state began detailed recording of the procedure in the 1970s, the Detroit Free Press reports. According to the health department, 11.9 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 were performed in 2005, compared with 12.8 abortions per 1,000 women in 2004. Health department spokesperson Geralyn Lasher said that the agency attributes the decline to programs aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies. In 1987 the number of abortions and the abortion rate peaked at 49,098 and 22 abortions per 1,000 women, respectively. Since 1988, when state voters approved a measure that banned Medicaid coverage for abortions among low-income women, the number of abortions performed annually in Michigan generally has declined, according to the Free Press (Bell, Detroit Free Press, 6/24).

Emergency Contraception, Birth Control

New Jersey: The state Senate on Monday voted 31-6 to approve a bill (S 1195) that would require pharmacists to fill prescriptions for any drug, including contraceptives, the AP/Cherry Hill Courier Post reports. The bill also would require pharmacies to refer patients immediately to another pharmacy and have the prescription transferred if the drug is not in stock. The bill now goes to the state Assembly for consideration (AP/Cherry Hill Courier Post, 6/26).

Other

New York City: Women giving birth in New York City hospitals are two-and-a-half times as likely to die during childbirth than women giving birth nationwide, according to a report from the New York state chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published in Crain's New York Business, the New York Post reports. According to the report, the city's maternal mortality rate in 2002 was 22 deaths per 100,000 births, compared with the national average of 8.9 deaths per 100,000 births the same year. The report also says that in 2004, New York state recorded 21.2 deaths per 100,000 births (Strunsky, New York Post, 6/26). According to researchers, the higher maternal mortality rates likely are because of complications associated with obesity and diabetes, which are common among recent immigrants and women who lack access to adequate prenatal care (Hutchinson, New York Daily News, 6/26). The figures were calculated from hospital surveys given as part of an effort to reduce maternal mortality rates statewide to three deaths per 100,000 births (New York Post, 6/26).

PPRM Plans To Distribute EC At No Cost In Colorado

2007-04-16T06:12:00.001-07:00

The Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains on Friday plans to provide emergency contraception -- which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse -- at no cost at its Colorado clinics in protest of Gov. Bill Owen's (R) veto of a bill (HB 1212) that would have given pharmacists the authority to write prescriptions for EC, the AP/Colorado Daily Summit News reports (Squires, AP/Colorado Daily Summit News, 6/27). Owens in April vetoed the bill, which was sponsored by state Sens. Betty Boyd (D) and Jennifer Veiga (D) and would have allowed pharmacists who object to EC on moral grounds to decline to prescribe the drug (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/5). According to the AP/Summit News, PPRM last year after Owens vetoed a bill (HB 1042) that would have required all hospitals in the state to inform sexual assault survivors of the availability of EC distributed 1,186 doses of EC at no cost. The group this year expects to dispense about 1,500 doses, the AP/Summit News reports. According to the state Department of Regulatory Agencies, Colorado law permits some prescriptions to be given without full exams. PPRM says that girls and women who request EC will undergo a "brief screening" and their charts will be reviewed by a nurse practitioner or a physician, the AP/Summit News reports. Opponents of PPRM's plan say that EC could be unsafe for minors (AP/Colorado Daily Summit News, 6/27).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Cardinal Expresses Concern That Vatican Someday Could Be Charged With Crimes For Opposing Abortion, Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2007-04-16T04:33:00.001-07:00

Roman Catholic Church leaders are concerned that the Vatican someday could be charged with a crime because of its opposition to abortion, human embryonic stem cell research and gay marriage, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, head of the Roman Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for the Family, said in an interview published Wednesday in Italy's Famiglia Cristiana, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports. "The church is at risk of being brought before some international court, if the debate becomes any tenser, if the more radical requests get heard," Trujillo said (Sanminiatelli, AP/Los Angeles Times, 6/28). He added, "We fear above all that, faced with current legislation, speaking in defense of life and the rights of the family has become in certain societies a sort of crime against the state, ... discrimination against women" (Agence France Presse, 6/28). Trujillo reiterated a church rule that says women who undergo abortion, nurses and doctors who assist in the procedure and men who consent to the abortion of fetuses they helped conceive are excommunicated from the church. He added that people taking part in embryonic stem cell research should be excommunicated (AP/Los Angeles Times, 6/28). "Destroying an embryo equals abortion and that excommunication goes for the woman, the doctors and the scientists who eliminate the embryo," Trujillo said (Pomeroy, Reuters, 6/29). Trujillo's comments come before the church's World Meeting of Families, which this year will take place in Valencia, Spain, from July 1 to July 9 (AP/Los Angeles Times, 6/28).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Issues In Various States

2007-04-16T03:38:00.001-07:00

The following highlights recent state news on women's health issues.

Abortion

Minnesota: There were 13,362 abortions performed in the state in 2005, a 3% drop from 2004 statistics, according to an annual report released Friday by the state Health Department, the AP/Duluth News Tribune reports. The report finds that 3,849 procedures in 2005 were covered by public health programs, compared with 3,950 in 2004. The report also finds that 12,220 of the abortions performed in the state occurred during the first three months' gestation. According to the report, 4,091 women in 2005 underwent the procedure because of economic reasons, compared with 2,647 in 2004 (Lohn, AP/Duluth News Tribune, 6/30).

South Dakota: The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council on Thursday voted 9-5 to replace Tribal President Cecelia Fire Thunder for allegedly soliciting donations on behalf of the tribe for a proposed abortion clinic without the council's approval, the AP/Washington Post reports (Walker, AP/Washington Post, 6/30). Fire Thunder in March in response to the approval of the South Dakota law (HB 1215) that bans abortion except to save a woman's life said, "I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land, which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the state of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction." However, Fire Thunder last month said she had not intended to open a clinic that would perform the procedure but rather one that would provide family planning information and emergency and regular contraception (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/2). "The bottom line is the Lakota people were adamantly opposed to abortion on our homelands," Will Peters, the council member who filed the complaint against Fire Thunder, said, adding, "The president was involved in unauthorized political actions." Fire Thunder said the council did not properly handle the action and plans to challenge the decision. She said the decision is "not about abortion," adding that many of the council members "have personal stuff toward me." Alex White Plume has replaced Fire Thunder as tribal president, the AP/Washington Post reports (AP/Washington Post, 6/30).

Minors

Texas: The AP/CNN on Sunday profiled a program in Garland, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, that uses a mobile clinic to provide prenatal and postpartum care for teenagers who are pregnant or have infants. According to the AP/CNN, the 33-foot mobile clinic, which is funded as part of the family practice residency program at Baylor Medical Center at Garland, parks near one of four Garland high schools each month so that girls can walk from class to receive medical services and information about ways to prevent future unintended pregnancies. Prior to the mobile clinic, teenagers had to seek care at a county hospital and miss a day of school, Gayle Millican, a grant facilitator in the Garland school district, said. Kathy Bennett, a social worker with Baylor Family Practice Residency Program, said the clinic tries to provide girls with prenatal care earlier in their pregnancies. According to administrators, since the program's inception in 2000 about 650 teens and 230 infants have received medical care at the clinic. There have been nine unintended pregnancies among the girls in the program, Bennett said. The teens' medical bills are covered by private insurance or Medicaid, and teens can pay for services on a sliding scale based on household income, according to Bennett (Stengle, AP/CNN, 7/2).

Stem Cell Research

New Jersey: The state Senate on Friday voted 26-9 to put on the November ballot a referendum for the state to borrow $230 million for stem cell research projects, Gannett/Cherry Hill Courier-Post reports. The state Assembly has not acted on the measure and is not expected to do so by the Aug. 29 deadline to place referendums on the statewide ballot, according to Gannett/Courier-Post (Gannett/Cherry Hill Courier-Post, 7/1). The state Senate last year voted to approve a similar proposal, but the state Assembly did not consider the measure (AP/Long Island Newsday, 6/30).

Abortion Statistics, England And Wales: 2005

2007-04-16T03:33:00.001-07:00

This bulletin summarises information from the abortion notification forms returned to the Chief Medical Officers of England and Wales in respect of abortions carried out in England and Wales in 2005.

Key facts

In 2005, for women resident in England and Wales:

-- the total number of abortions was 186,400, compared with 185,700 in 2004, a rise of 0.4%

-- the age-standardised abortion rate was 17.8 per 1,000 resident women aged 15-44, the same as in 2004

-- the abortion rate was highest, at 32.0 per 1,000, for women in the 20-24 age group

-- the under-16 abortion rate was 3.7 and the under-18 rate was 17.8 per 1,000 women, both the same as in 2004.

-- 84% of abortions were funded by the NHS; of these, just over half (52%) took place in the independent sector under NHS contract

-- 89% of abortions were carried out at under 13 weeks gestation; 67% were at under 10 weeks

-- medical abortions accounted for 24% of the total compared with 19% in 2004

-- 1,900 abortions (1%) were under ground E, risk that the child would be born handicapped

Non-residents:

-- in 2005 there were 7,900 abortions for non-residents carried out in hospitals and clinics in England and Wales (8,800 in 2004)

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Department of Health, UK

Portuguese Appeals Court Charges Doctor, Assistant, Three Women In Abortion Case, Overrules Acquittal Of Lower Court

2007-04-16T02:45:00.001-07:00

A Portuguese court of appeals in Coimbra, Portugal, on Tuesday sentenced an alleged abortion provider, his assistant and three women accused of having illegal abortions to prison, overruling a 2004 lower court ruling that acquitted them of the charges, AFP/Today Online reports (AFP/Today Online, 7/4). Abortion is illegal in Portugal except when necessary to protect the life or health of a woman or if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of rape. In the trial, which began in December 2003, public prosecutors also had charged a physician with performing illegal abortions and had charged his two employees and seven other individuals as accomplices, including those who allegedly accompanied the women to the clinic, such as a parent, husband or boyfriend. A lower court in February 2004 dropped the charges against the alleged abortion provider, seven women who were accused of undergoing the illegal procedure and several others accused of being involved with illegal abortions. Presiding Judge Paulo Brandao said that although public prosecutors had proven that the doctor performed abortions at his clinic, they had not proven that the seven women charged had obtained abortions. Brandao said that despite being acquitted, the physician would be penalized by having his car, medical instruments and some money obtained through providing abortions seized by the state (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/19/04).

Appeals Court Ruling
In overruling the lower court, the appeals court sentenced the physician to three years and eight months in prison, AFP/Today Online reports. The court also sentenced the woman who worked in the clinic and allegedly assisted the physician in performing abortions to 16 months in prison, suspended for three years, and sentenced the three women who were accused of undergoing the procedure to six months in jail, suspended for two years, according to AFP/Today Online. The appeals court based its decision in part on gynecological exams, which the lower court had not allowed to be submitted as evidence. Defense lawyers have 15 days to appeal the court's decision. Prime Minister Jose Socrates has vowed to hold another referendum on the nation's abortion laws, AFP/Today Online reports (AFP/Today Online, 7/5). The public in a 1998 referendum voted 51% to 49% to reject a measure that would have allowed abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Former Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso in January 2004 barred another referendum from taking place during his administration's term (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/19/04). Officials say that about 10,000 women annually in Portugal are treated at hospitals for complications caused by illegal abortions (Associated Press, 7/4).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Women's Health Policy Issues Related To 2006 Elections

2007-04-16T02:33:00.001-07:00

The following highlights recent election-related news on women's health issues.

Oregon: Supporters of a proposed ballot initiative that would require physicians to notify by certified mail a parent or guardian at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor ages 15 to 17 on Thursday submitted 115,845 signatures to the Secretary of State's office, the AP/OregonLive.com reports (Silverman, AP/OregonLive.com, 7/6). Under the proposed notification initiative, which is sponsored by Oregon Right to Life, minors would be exempt from the measure if their life or health is at risk, and physicians who refuse to comply with the notification requirement would face civil penalties (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/13). The initiative also would allow for judicial bypass in cases of potential abuse. ORTL needed to collect 75,630 valid signatures by July 7 to put the initiative on the November ballot (Johnson, KATU2 News, 7/6). The Secretary of State's office has 30 days to verify the signatures (AP/OregonLive.com, 7/6).

Tennessee: Rep. Harold Ford (D), who is running for U.S. Senate, on Wednesday, during an interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press, said he is "pro-life" but supports upholding the "law of the land," the Free Press reports. During the interview, Ford said that he opposes so-called "partial-birth" abortion and litmus tests for choosing judicial nominees but said he supports parental notification before a minor undergoes an abortion. In addition, Ford said he supports programs aimed at preventing unintended pregnancies. Ford during the interview also said he supports the "95-10 Initiative." The program would provide funding for "pregnancy prevention education" and offer services -- including counseling, adoption tax credits and day care -- to pregnant women, according to the Ford campaign (Davis, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 7/6).

44% Of World's Maternal Deaths From Unsafe Abortions Occur In Africa, Group Says

2007-04-16T01:44:00.001-07:00

Forty-four percent of maternal deaths because of unsafe abortion worldwide occur in Africa, IPAS, an international sexual and reproductive health and rights organization, said Tuesday, Xhinua/People's Daily Online reports. More than four million women and girls in Africa undergo unsafe abortions annually, and about 34,000 of them die because of complications from the procedure, Ejike Oji, director of the IPAS country office in Nigeria, said. For example, in Nigeria, where abortion is illegal except to save the life of the pregnant woman, the maternal death rate is about 800 deaths per 100,000 live births, one of the highest rates in the world, Oji said. He added that the majority of the abortions in the country were performed under dangerous conditions and that more than 140,000 such procedures ended in hospitalization resulting from complications. In addition, "social stigma and political pressure render many health care providers unwilling to offer abortion services even within limits of the law," Oji said. He said that reproductive health networks and partners -- such as the Medical Women International Association, the National Council for Women Societies, the Federation of Women Lawyers and Civil Societies Organizations -- are increasing their efforts to reform the country's abortion law to include legal exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the pregnant women (Xhinua/People's Daily Online, 7/5).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Advocate Who Challenged China's One-Child Policy Faces Trial

2007-04-16T01:33:00.001-07:00

Chinese human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng on July 17 is scheduled to go to trial in Linyi, China, county court in the country's Shandong province, his attorney Li Jinsong said last week, Agence France-Presse reports. Chen is scheduled to face charges of "willfully harming public property" and "gathering masses to disturb traffic order" after attempting to expose alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement of the country's one-child-per-family policy (Agence France-Presse, 7/10). The one-child policy seeks to keep China's population -- now 1.3 billion -- at around 1.7 billion by 2050. Ethnic minorities and farmers are the only groups legally exempt from the rule. Chen, who is blind, recorded testimony from men and women in communities in and around Linyi, who have experienced forced abortions and sterilizations, as well as had family members captured and tortured after they tried to hide or run from authorities. He was attempting to bring a class-action lawsuit against the Chinese government for alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement. Chen in September 2005 was placed under house arrest for speaking with journalists, government officials and other advocates about the one-child policy (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/27). Chen's trial might renew international scrutiny of the policy, and "it represents a major setback for reformers in the government who have been trying to soften the one-child policy and eliminate the abuses long associated with it," the Washington Post reports. The U.N. Population Fund has raised Chen's case with the Chinese government several times, and senior U.S. officials also have urged the government to release him, according to the Post (Pan, Washington Post, 7/8).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Women's Health Policy Issues Related To 2006 Elections

2007-04-16T00:40:00.001-07:00

The following highlights recent election-related news on women's health issues.

South Dakota: The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, a coalition of opponents of a South Dakota law (HB 1215) that bans abortion in the state except to save a woman's life, through June 28 has raised $116,000 in campaign funds, and the group South Dakotans for 1215/VoteYesForLife.com through June 28 has raised $88,095 in campaign funds, according to financial records submitted to the Secretary of State's office, the AP/Sioux City Journal reports. Healthy Families, which successfully blocked the July 1 enactment of the abortion law by gathering enough signatures to put the issue on the November ballot, received about $25,000 from South Dakota residents, while supporters of the legislation received $38,881 in donations from state residents. The next financial report is scheduled to be filed one week before the election on October 31 (Kafka, AP/Sioux City Journal, 7/7).

South Dakota: The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday examined how the debate over the South Dakota abortion ban has "splintered" the state in "unpredictable ways, turning Republicans against Republicans, Democrats against Democrats, wives against husbands." South Dakota residents, the majority of whom tend to be more opposed to abortion rights than the rest of the country, "have become proxies in a national battle" on abortion rights. The "same types of divisions" about abortion rights that are seen nationwide exist in the state, according to the Inquirer. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 58% of people in the U.S. say they would oppose a national law similar to South Dakota's and 34% say they would support such a law (Nussbaum, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/9).

Tennessee: The three candidates for the Republican nomination to replace retiring Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) -- former Reps. Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary and former Chattanooga, Tenn., Mayor Bob Corker -- all say they oppose Frist's support for federally funded human embryonic stem cell research, the AP/Knoxville News Sentinel reports (Poovey, AP/Knoxville News Sentinel, 7/9). Frist in July 2005 delivered a speech on the Senate floor backing legislation (HR 810/S 471) that would expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, breaking from his previous support of President Bush's embryonic stem cell research policy. Bush's current policy allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research only when conducted using stem cell lines created on or before Aug. 9, 2001, while the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 -- which has been approved by the House -- would allow funding for research using stem cells derived from embryos originally created for fertility treatments and willingly donated by patients (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/29/05). Frist, the Senate majority leader, last month came to an agreement with other Senate leaders to bring to the Senate floor by the end of the month the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act and two other stem cell-related bills (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/6). The likely Democratic nominee for the Senate seat is Rep. Harold Ford, a co-sponsor of the House version of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (AP/Knoxville News Sentinel, 7/9).

Wisconsin: The Washington Post on Sunday examined Gov. Jim Doyle's (D) re-election campaign against Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mark Green and the role human embryonic stem cell research might play in the election (Broder, Washington Post, 7/9). Doyle in April signed an executive order to direct $5 million in funding to help recruit stem cell researchers to the state (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/27). According to the Post, Doyle has said he hopes that the embryonic stem cell research issue will motivate his supporters in the upcoming gubernatorial elections (Washington Post, 7/9). Alternatively, Green has supported limiting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. He has said he thinks there are more research opportunities in adult stem cell research and that he does not approve of destroying human embryos for the purpose of research (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/13). "I'm excited about stem cell research," Green said, adding, "But I don't believe we have to leave our moral compass behind in pursuing the promise of stem cell research." Doyle has called Green a "relentless opponent of stem cell research" and says that Green in eight votes has "tried to ban or even criminalize proven methods of stem cell research" (Washington Post, 7/9).

Kansas City Star Examines Debate Over Fetal-Rights Legislation

2007-04-16T00:33:00.001-07:00

The Kansas City Star on Sunday examined "fetal-rights" regulations. Groups that oppose abortion rights and some other groups say that society needs to "do whatever it can" to keep fetuses "safe and healthy," according to the Star. For example, in some states, women can be prosecuted for engaging in certain behaviors, including methamphetamine or crack use during pregnancy, that might have contributed to birth defects or a stillbirth. Some people who oppose such laws view them as a "slippery slope in the making," where pregnant women who miscarry potentially could be prosecuted for not taking prenatal vitamins, the Star reports. Groups that support abortion rights say that so-called "fetal protectionism" -- which aims to entitle a fetus to the same rights as a person -- is contrary to how the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which effectively outlawed state abortion bans, according to the Star. More than 30 states allow for fetal homicide prosecutions, the Star reports (Montgomery, Kansas City Star, 7/9).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Los Angeles Times Profiles Advocate Who Challenged China's One-Child Policy

2007-04-15T23:37:00.001-07:00

The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday profiled human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng, who went public with reports of abuses by family planning officials enforcing China's one-child-per-family policy (Magnier, Los Angeles Times, 7/11). The one-child policy seeks to keep China's population -- now 1.3 billion -- at around 1.7 billion by 2050. Ethnic minorities and farmers are the only groups legally exempt from the rule. Chen recorded testimony from men and women in communities in and around Linyi, China, who have experienced forced abortions and sterilizations, as well as had family members captured and tortured after they tried to hide or run from authorities. He was attempting to bring a class-action lawsuit against the Chinese government for alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement. Chen in September 2005 was placed under house arrest for speaking with journalists, government officials and other advocates about the one-child policy (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/10). Chen has become a "hero" in Linyi after he helped local residents with their legal issues and released his report on the one-child policy, according to the Times. His advocacy work has been recognized by Amnesty International, foreign governments and U.N. officials, and he was named as one of Time magazine's "2006's Top 100 People Who Shape Our World," the Times reports. Officials in China's Shandong province "went on the offensive" after Chen went public with reports of the abuses, the Times reports (Los Angeles Times, 7/11). Chinese police formally arrested Chen in June for his attempts to challenge the policy (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/27). On July 17 in a Linyi county court in Shandong, Chen is scheduled to stand trial on charges of "willfully harming public property" and "gathering masses to disturb traffic order" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/10).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Women's Health Policy Issues Related To 2006 Elections

2007-04-15T23:33:00.001-07:00

The following highlights recent election-related news on women's health issues.

Michigan: Supporters of an initiative that would have defined a person as existing from conception in the state constitution on Monday failed to turn in the required number of signatures to put the initiative on the November ballot, the AP/South Bend Tribune reports (Martin, AP/South Bend Tribune, 7/11). The proposed initiative was circulated by Michigan Citizens for Life in an attempt to initiate a court challenge to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that effectively barred state abortion bans. Although some abortion-rights opposition groups in Michigan, such as Right to Life-Lifespan, supported the proposal, Right to Life of Michigan -- the state's largest abortion-rights opposition group -- did not support it (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/26). MCL needed to submit at least 317,757 valid signatures to election officials by Monday, but the group likely gathered fewer than 300,000 signatures, according to organizers. MCL Chair Cal Zastrow said the group now will focus on future actions. Those actions could include collecting signatures next year or convincing the state Legislature to sponsor the initiative, according to the AP/Tribune. Two-thirds of both the state House and Senate would be required to approve the initiative for it to go before the voters, according to the AP/South Bend Tribune (AP/South Bend Tribune, 7/11).

South Dakota: State Attorney General Larry Long's (R) official explanation of the state's abortion ban (HB 1215) on the November ballot will say that if voters approve the initiative, the law could be challenged in court, which might find the law unconstitutional, the AP/Yankton Press & Dakotan reports. Long on Monday gave Secretary of State Chris Nelson (R) his official explanation of all the November ballot measures, which will be printed on ballots to guide voters. The full text of the initiatives will not be printed, according to the AP/Press & Dakotan. The explanation of the ban says, "If approved, [the law] will likely be challenged in court and may be declared to be in violation of the U.S. Constitution. If so, the state may be required to pay attorneys fees and costs." The explanation also details the current abortion-related state law, which says that a pregnant woman can undergo abortion up to 24 weeks' gestation, after which abortion can only be sought if the woman's life is in danger. In addition, the explanation describes in detail the new law and the penalties for breaking it (Brokaw, AP/Yankton Press & Dakotan, 7/10).

Missouri Gov. Signs Bill That Gives Tax Credits For Donations To Pregnancy Centers That Do Not Perform Abortions, Make Referrals

2007-04-15T22:38:00.001-07:00

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt (R) on Tuesday signed into law a bill (HB 1485) that would give a tax credit -- which could be used on income taxes and some types of business taxes -- for donations to crisis pregnancy centers that do not perform abortions or refer women to clinics that perform the procedure, the Columbia Daily Tribune (Rosenbaum, Columbia Daily Tribune, 7/11). The measure authorizes the state to issue a tax credit for the next six years that is worth half the value of donations between $100 and $50,000 and is limited to $2 million annually. The credit expires after four years and will be administered by the state Department of Social Services (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/18). "I believe it will allow pregnancy-resource centers to continue their very important work," Blunt said at Rachel's House, a pregnancy resource center in Lee's Summit, Mo. (Uhlenruth, Kansas City Star, 7/12). Blunt toured the state on Tuesday to promote the legislation, the AP/Belleville News-Democrat reports (Wiese, AP/Belleville News-Democrat, 7/11). "These are resource centers that truly do believe that we should have a culture that values human life," he said in a statement (Ertelt, LifeNews.com, 7/11). Speaking at Open Arms Pregnancy Resource Center in Columbia, Mo., Blunt added, "I clearly believe that your money would be better spent here than at Planned Parenthood." Peter Brownlie, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said pregnancy resource centers often "bombard" women "with antiabortion propaganda" and "provide information from a very biased viewpoint and attempt to pressure women" (Columbia Daily Tribune, 7/11).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Abortion-Rights Opposition Group Launches Campaign To Uphold South Dakota Ban In Statewide Vote

2007-04-15T22:33:00.001-07:00

The group South Dakotans for 1215/VoteYesForLife.com on Wednesday launched its efforts to gain voter support for a November statewide ballot initiative that will decide whether a law (HB 1215) banning abortion in the state except to save a woman's life can take effect, Reuters reports (Reuters, 7/12). The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, a coalition of opponents of the ban, successfully blocked the July 1 enactment of the abortion law by gathering enough signatures to put the issue on the November ballot (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/11). "We're all about life, helping women and helping babies," Leslie Unruh, VoteYesForLife's leader, said, adding, "Abortion hurts women, abortion denies us our relationship with our child. ... All of us have a reason for being born." According to Reuters, both VoteYesForLife and Healthy Families said over the next few months they expect the campaigns to be aggressive and to use media and "on-the-ground campaigning" to spread their messages (Reuters, 7/12).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Texas Attorney General Asked To Rule Whether Abortion-Related Law Could Subject Physicians To Murder Charges

2007-04-15T21:36:00.001-07:00

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) has been asked to rule on whether an abortion-related law (SB 419) could subject doctors to capital murder charges, the Houston Chronicle reports (Elliott, Houston Chronicle, 7/12). Under the law, physicians are required to obtain signed consent from a parent or guardian before performing an abortion on a minor and failure to do so results in a license violation. However, the measure allows for judicial bypass in cases of potential abuse or in cases where the minor is deemed mature enough to make the decision on her own. Previously, parents of minors seeking abortion had to be notified 48 hours before the procedure, but parental permission was not required. The law also includes language making it illegal for a woman to obtain a third-trimester abortion unless it is necessary to save her life or if the fetus has "severe, irreversible brain impairment." The law allows exceptions in cases where a woman is "diagnosed with a significant likelihood of suffering imminent, severe, irreversible brain damage or paralysis." Previously, doctors could perform late-term abortions if it were "necessary to prevent the death or a substantial risk of serious impairment to the physical or mental health of the woman" or if a woman's fetus had "a severe and irreversible abnormality, identified by reliable diagnostic procedures" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/7/05).

Comments
State Affairs Chair David Swinford (R) asked for the attorney general's opinion because of a Texas District and County Attorneys Association analysis of state laws passed in 2005, the Austin American-Statesman reports. The analysis says that because it is illegal both for abortions to be performed on a minor without the consent of a parent or guardian and for a physician to perform a third-trimester abortion, doctors who perform them could be prosecuted for murder. The analysis -- written by Shannon Edmonds, the group's director of governmental relations -- says, "This was undoubtedly an unintended consequence but one that law enforcement authorities should be aware of." Edmonds, who said he is unaware of any such prosecutions, said, "After every (legislative) session, there are changes in the law that are real head-scratchers, some intentional and some are unintentional. ... This is just a way to illustrate how unintentional consequences can result in something extreme" (Embry, Austin American-Statesman, 7/13). Swinford, who disagrees with the interpretation of the law by the TDCAA, said the law is intended to provide criminal penalties for the failure of physicians to obtain parental consent or to comply with restrictions on abortions conducted at or after 28 weeks' gestation, but "certainly not to subject a physician to prosecution for capital murder." Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, believes that under the law, physicians could be charged only with violating the Occupations Code -- a third-degree felony that carries a punishment range of two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, the Chronicle reports. The Texas Medical Association agrees with TAL's analysis, according to the Houston Chronicle. Brent Annear, spokesperson for TMA said, "The [state] Legislature specifically established penalties when it passed the new law. Any physician who violates that law obviously should not be subjected to capital punishment." Peggy Romberg, executive director of the Women's Health and Family Planning Association of Texas, said that the issue needs to be resolved. "This could have a chilling effect on providers and could result in women not having the access they need at a crisis time in their life," she added (Houston Chronicle, 7/12).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

N.J. Supreme Court To Hear Appeal Of Ruling That Jury Can Consider Whether Physician Being Sued Gave Adequate Information About Abortion

2007-04-15T21:33:00.001-07:00

The New Jersey Supreme Court recently agreed without comment to hear an appeal of a decision that a jury can consider whether a doctor gave adequate medical information to a woman who claims she was unable to give informed consent to undergo an abortion, the Newark Star-Ledger reports (Coscarelli, Newark Star-Ledger, 7/13). According to court papers, physician Sheldon Turkish in 1996 told Rosa Acuna, who was eight weeks pregnant, that she had to undergo an "immediate abortion" because her pregnancy was causing damage to her kidneys. Acuna charges that Turkish "incorrectly told [her] ... that she was not aborting a human life" when she underwent the procedure, adding that she has experienced psychological trauma, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosexual dysfunction, as a result of the abortion. A trial judge previously had dismissed the case, stating that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a "fetus is not a person," but an appellate court ruled that Acuna could sue for damages involving "a question of medical malpractice." A three-judge panel of the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court in April dismissed the wrongful death claim in the lawsuit but wrote that a jury could decide "[w]hat medical information is material and must be disclosed by an obstetrician when advising a patient to terminate a pregnancy and what medical information is material when the patient asks if the 'baby' is already there." Appellate Court Judge Ariel Rodriques, writing for the three-judge panel, added, "Obviously, the term 'baby' meant something different to Acuna and Turkish. For her, it meant an embryo or fetus; for the doctor, a human being following birth. Arguably, from Turkish's perspective, he answered correctly and discharged his duty to his patient by indicating there was no 'baby' there." Acuna is suing Turkish and the Obstetrical and Gynecological Group of Perth Amboy and Edison (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/11). Turkish's attorney John Zen Jackson, who filed the appeal with the state Supreme Court, did not return calls for comment, according to the Star-Ledger. It is unclear when arguments for the appeal will be heard, the Star-Ledger reports (Newark Star-Ledger, 7/13).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Mississippi Abortion-Rights Advocates, Abortion Opponents Demonstrate Over Efforts To Close State's Last Abortion Clinic

2007-04-15T20:36:00.001-07:00

Abortion-rights advocates and abortion opponents in Jackson, Miss., on Sunday demonstrated over efforts to close the Jackson Women's Health Organization, the only clinic in the state that provides abortion services, USA Today reports (Walton, USA Today, 7/17). The clinic opened in 1995 and sees about 4,000 women a year, according to National Organization for Women President Susan Hill (Brown, AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/15). The clinic recently had to stop performing second-trimester abortions because of regulatory obstacles put in place by abortion-rights opponents (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/16). The antiabortion group Operation Rescue/Operation Save America targeted the clinic this year to "send a message" to antiabortion advocates "that the battle to end abortion can be won," USA Today reports. "This is a grass-roots battle that will be won with the gospel of Jesus Christ," OSA Director the Rev. Flip Benham said, adding, "Pretty soon abortion is going to become as ugly a word as slavery." Six abortion clinics have closed in Mississippi in the past decade because of restrictive laws and pressure from abortion-rights opponents, Michelle Colon, president of the Jackson chapter of NOW, said. If the clinic closes, women could get abortions from private physicians in the state at a higher cost, according to USA Today (USA Today, 7/17). The right to abortion in Mississippi has become more restrictive in part because of recent legislation, including measures that require both parents or guardians to consent to the procedure before a minor can undergo an abortion and a 24-hour waiting period for all women seeking abortion (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/16). NOW and other abortion-rights groups have gathered in downtown Jackson to counter the weeklong protest, the AP/Chronicle reports (AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/15). "To me this isn't really a protest, it's really abusing women ... screaming and yelling at [women] is abuse," Hill said, adding, "We don't intend to be run out by a bunch of people screaming at us" (USA Today, 7/17).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Washington Post Examines Debate Surrounding Health Care Workers' Religious Freedom Vs. Patients' Rights To Abortion, Fertility Treatment, Birth

2007-04-15T20:33:00.001-07:00

The Washington Post on Sunday in three articles examined how health workers' religious freedom can affect patients' rights to access abortion, fertility treatment and emergency contraception -- which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse. Summaries of the articles appear below.

"A Medical Crisis of Conscience: Faith Drives Some To Refuse Patients Medication or Care": According to the Post, the debate is fueled by the push of medicine into new, controversial areas and the political prominence and rise of religious expression. Political and legal "battles" have ensued over whether health workers have the right to deny access to care for religious reasons, and Congress and more than 12 states are considering legislation that would require health workers to provide care or, in some cases, protect them from punishment if they do not, according to the Post. Advocates of health care workers' "right of conscience" say that it is vital to protect citizens from being made to act contrary to their religious and moral values, the Post reports. However, patients' rights proponents say that it is the professional and ethical responsibility of physicians to "put patients first," according to the Post. The issue is the "San Andreas Fault of our culture," Gene Rudd of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations said, adding, "How we decide this is going to have a long-lasting impact on our society." According to the Post, the issue has become more important as the embryonic stem cell debate continues to evolve (Stein [1], Washington Post, 7/16).

"For Some, There Is No Choice": The Post on Sunday examined the "sense of siege" some religious health care workers experience when faced with performing duties that they find "morally reprehensible," such as dispensing birth control and EC and performing abortions. According to the Post, some health care workers "struggl[e] over where to draw the line" between their religious beliefs and the fear of being fined, reprimanded, denied promotion or fired (Stein [2], Washington Post, 7/16).

"Seeking Care, and Refused": The Post on Sunday examined the experiences of patients who seek abortions, fertility treatment, birth control or EC and are faced with religious health care workers who are "overt" in their beliefs. According to the Post, some health care providers refuse to fill prescriptions for EC or birth control and other times they refuse to treat patients at all on religious grounds. Because refusals occur at "deeply personal, often traumatic moments," patients often are shocked, frightened, angered and humiliated when refused access to care, the Post reports (Stein [3], Washington Post, 7/16).

Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers Provide Women With Incorrect Information On Abortion, Report Says

2007-04-15T19:36:00.001-07:00

Some federally funded pregnancy resource centers are incorrectly telling women that abortion results in an increased risk of infertility, breast cancer and psychological trauma, according to a minority congressional report requested by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and conducted by the Democratic staff of the House Government Reform Committee, the Washington Post reports (Kaufman, Washington Post, 7/18). For the report, released Monday, congressional aides posed as pregnant women who were age 17 and requested information about unintended pregnancies from 25 pregnancy resource centers that have received federal funding in the last five years, the AP/Forbes reports (Freking, AP/Forbes, 7/17). The report finds that 20 out of the 23 centers that could be reached provided the aides with misleading or incorrect information concerning the potential risks of abortion. According to the report, counselors at eight of the centers said that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer. However, a 2003 National Cancer Institute panel concluded that abortion is not associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer, the Post reports (Washington Post, 7/18). Investigators found that centers gave misleading or false information about abortion 87% of the time, CQ HealthBeat reports (Agnes Carey, CQ HealthBeat, 7/18). The incorrect information "may be effective in frightening pregnant teenagers and women and discouraging abortion," the report said, adding, "[I]t denies the teenagers and women vital health information, prevents them from making an informed decision, and is not an accepted public health practice." According to Molly Ford of Sterling, Va.-based Care Net, which supports pregnancy resource centers nationwide, there are "many studies that show significant medical problems associated with abortion." According to Ford, the centers the report criticizes receive federal funds for abstinence-only programs but not for pregnancy counseling. "The funds are kept entirely separate," she added (Washington Post, 7/18). According to the AP/Forbes, a fraction of more than 4,000 pregnancy resource centers nationwide receive federal funding and most receive funds for abstinence programs (AP/Forbes, 7/17). HHS spokesperson Christina Pearson said that officials at the department, which distributes funding to pregnancy resource centers, still are reviewing the Waxman report and have no comment on its findings (CQ HealthBeat, 7/18).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Sioux Falls Argus Leader Examines Role Of South Dakota Physicians In Abortion Ban Debate

2007-04-15T19:33:00.001-07:00

Early Fetal Gender Test Demands Rapid Ethical Policymaking

2007-04-15T18:36:00.001-07:00

This alert highlights the research published this week in a special issue of Prenatal Diagnosis entitled, Fetal Sexing: Global Perspectives on Practices, Ethics and Policy. The special issue arose out of a workshop organized as part of the SAFE network of excellence.

Reviews highlighted in this newsalert:

* Early pregnancy maternal blood test for fetal gender demands rapid ethical policy-making. The sex of a 5-7 week embryo can be determined by a new test - about two months earlier than was possible with ultrasound. But should we use this new technology 'just because it is there?'

* Sex selection вЂ" liberally ok but not without problems. Sex selection fits with a liberal view of permission in reproduction, but using abortion as part of the process is less defensible and may degrade our value of human life.

* Will easier access to more effective sex selection affect gender balance? Probably not. Increasing ease of travel to countries with lax rules on sex selection makes it possible for wealthy couples to have a baby of the desired sex. But surveys that ask whether people would prefer to have a boy or a girl show that, at least in Western countries, the sex-ratio is unlikely to change considerably.

* Most people do not favour sex selection. Surveys conducted to date show that, overall, people have negative attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons, particular if the method involves terminating a pregnancy.

Lyn Chitty, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Genetics and Fetal Medicine at the UCL Institute of Child Health, London, says, "this Special Topic issue presents a range of papers that discuss the scientific, social and political implications of fetal sex selection. It begins by describing the technological advances that have made early non-invasive fetal sex determination a practical, reliable and safe option for women at high risk of sex-linked disorders if the test is performed in accredited and experienced laboratories.

It then goes on to explore the views of clinicians, scientists and social scientists as well as the evidence from the developed and developing world on the potential impact of this technology if used for non-medical reasons.

It gives no answers and, to quote the editors of this issue - 'It remains to be seen whether the triumph of modern science to allow fetal sexing at increasingly early stages of gestation will be seen as a triumph, allowing those at risk for sex-linked disorders to learn of the health of their fetus at the earliest point possible, or a tyranny, making simpler the selective termination of female fetuses with its attendant social and political consequences.'"

Early pregnancy maternal blood test for fetal gender demands rapid ethical policy-making

The sex of a 5-7 week embryo can be determined by a new test - about two months earlier than was possible with ultrasound. "It is imperative that an authorized committee of experts in each country generates and official policy regarding use of this test," says Dr. Esther Guetta from the Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, in Israel, writing in the latest edition of Prenatal Diagnosis.

To understand the test you need to know two things:

1. Fragments of DNA from an embryo can be found circulating in its mother's blood.

2. While males have an X and a Y chromosome, females only have two X chromosomes.

If you take a sample of a pregnant woman's blood plasma and find DNA that is only present in males, the woman is most probably carrying a male fetus.

Unlike other highly accurate invasive tests, this test poses no risk to the embryo. It can also be carried out early in pregnancy. Add these together and it is likely therefore to become popular with anyone who is prepared to use abortion as a way of choosing their child's sex.

"We need to think about this quickly because the technology is already with us," says Guetta. In the USA, for example, some mail order products already use this sort of technology.

"Should this new technology be applied 'just because it is there'?" asks Guetta.

Review Title: Guetta, E: Noninvasive detection of fetal sex: The laboratory diagnostician's view: Prenatal Diagnosis DOI: 10.1002/pd.1478

Sex selection - liberally ok, but not without problems

Sex selection fits with a liberal view of permission in reproduction, but using abortion as part of the process is much less defensible and is liable to degrade the value of human life. This is the conclusion of Thomas Baldwin who works in the Department of Philosophy at the University of York, England.

While there is reasonable acceptance of sex selection to help parents avoid passing on a genetic disease to their children, many surveys show that people do not welcome the possibility of sex selection merely to choose the sex of a child.

In order to understand the opposition to sex selection, Baldwin considers the arguments against sex selection in four key areas:

1. religion - Baldwin believes that religious arguments by themselves should not be used to drive public policy in a liberal secular state, but suggests that the main religiously-derived arguments are taken into account in secular ethical debates.

2. social consequences - some people argue that a serious objection to sex selection is that it will lead to a substantial imbalance of boys over girls within society. Baldwin, however, argues that if sex selection is primarily used for family balancing, the numbers of boys and girls in Western societies will not become unbalanced.

3. child's autonomy - it is argued that deciding a child's sex violates his or her autonomy by imposing a particular destiny on the child. Baldwin rejects this view largely by pointing out that there are many ways during our upbringing in which parents influence who we become. Sex selection is therefore not introducing something radically new, although it does extend parental influence into a new dimension.

4. children as a commodity - still others argue that sex selection turns the child into a commodity that has been designed to satisfy a need and thus that parents will not give their child the unconditioned love it needs. But the connections here are not inevitable, and it may equally be argued that enabling parents to have the kind of child they want increases the chances of them giving their child the love it needs.

Since these objections are not decisive, Baldwin concludes that the liberal argument for permitting sex selection is the reasonable position to take, though its use should be restricted for the moment to family balancing situations. When it comes to looking at methods of sex selection, Baldwin believes that there is nothing problematic in any method that does not destroy an embryo or fetus.

Once an embryo has been implanted and allowed to develop, however, termination of the pregnancy merely for the purpose of sex selection is in principle wrong. But he accepts that the combination of new non-invasive methods of testing with over the counter hormone abortion kits will make sex selection by early abortion something that is in practice impossible to stop.

"Since there are no straightforward victims, it is a mistake to try and enforce its prevention," says Baldwin. "We will just have to learn to live with the resulting degradation of the value of human life."

Review Title: Baldwin, T: Understanding the opposition: Prenatal Diagnosis, DOI: 10.1002/pd.1473

Will easier access to more effective sex selection affect gender balance? Probably not ..

Increasing ease of travel to countries with lax rules on sex selection makes it possible for wealthy couples to have a baby of the desired sex. But surveys that ask whether people would prefer to have a boy or a girl show that, at least in Western countries, the sex-ratio is unlikely to change considerably.

The desire to choose the sex of our offspring is not new - it has been part of human culture for millennia. However until recently there has been no successful method of achieving this goal.

Now that methods, like sperm selection and non-invasive methods of testing an embryo's sex, are becoming available, the issue is moving from one of mild interest, to one that needs serious consideration.

"It will be very difficult for governments to stop people who want to use these new techniques," says Frank van Balen who works at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The question then is whether this use will alter the gender balance within the population.

Many initial comments suggest that these tools will create a population with more boys than girls, but van Balen thinks this is not necessarily the case.

While 'son preference' tends to be stronger that 'daughter preference', recent surveys show increased 'daughter preference' particularly among women. Given that abortion laws give the woman the decision-making power over a termination, the argument that sex selection should be barred because it would discriminate against women may not be so strong.

'Light' sex selection methods, especially those known not to be effective, enjoy a high degree of social acceptance. But it will also be interesting to see how attitudes change as people get used to the presence of technologies that 'work'.

Review Title: Van Balen, F: Attitudes towards sex selection in the Western world: Prenatal Diagnosis, DOI: 10.1002/pd.1471

Most people do not favour sex selection

Surveys conducted to date show that, overall, people have negative attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons, particular if the method involves terminating a pregnancy. This was the main conclusion of a review that drew together data from 21 separate studies. The research was carried out by Dr Sue Hall and colleagues working in the Department of Psychology at Guy's College London.

"Some of the studies show that while people may be in favour of the general principle of reproductive choice, they feel that they would not use sex selection themselves," says Hall.

The surveys cover a range of time from 1971 to 2005. Sixteen were carried out in the USA, 4 in Germany and 1 in the UK. Attitudes were particularly negative in Germany.

"People's attitudes become more negative when the methods used to select the gender of a child are explained - eg the cost and effort involved, the unreliability of sperm sorting or the need for termination of pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis," says Hall. "People are particularly reluctant to endorse prenatal diagnosis and abortion for sex selection."

Earlier this month MP Caroline Flint declared that choosing the sex of a baby for social reasons would be banned and the Department of Health has been conducting a review of the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act - the legislation governing human fertilisation.

"Such debates need to consider the way that policy, guidelines and legal frameworks drawn up to work with Western attitudes and cultures will impact regions of the world that have more positive attitudes toward sex selection such as India and China," says Hall.

Review Title: Hall, S: Attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons: a review, DOI: 10.1002/pd.1472

###

Notes to Editors

1. Special Issue: Prenatal Diagnosis: Fetal sexing: global perspectives on practices, ethics and policy.

2. Prenatal Diagnosis: The aim of the journal is to communicate the results of original research in a variety of clinical and scientific specialities concerned with in utero diagnosis of fetal abnormality in humans (and in animal models) resulting from genetic and environmental factors. Prenatal Diagnosis can be accessed online at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/pd

3. John Wiley & Sons Ltd., with its headquarters in Chichester, England, is the largest subsidiary of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., provides must-have content and services to customers worldwide. Its core businesses include scientific, technical, and medical journals, encyclopaedias, books, and online products and services; professional and consumer books and subscription services; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley has publishing, marketing, and distribution centres in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb. Wiley's Internet site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com/

4. The Special Non-Invasive Advances in Fetal and Neonatal Evaluation Network (SAFE) is a Network of Excellence established under the European Commission Sixth Framework Programme which aims to implement routine non-invasive prenatal diagnosis and cost effective neonatal screening through the creation of long-term partnerships.

The SAFE network will develop a series of measures to enable the rapid introduction of Non-Invasive Prenatal Diagnosis (NIPD) and Neonatal Screening (NS) throughout the EU and beyond. At present NIPD , based on a pioneering observation that circulatory cell free fetal DNA is present in maternal plasma and serum, has already begun to impact clinical practice. It started on 1 March 2004, will run for 5 years and has 53 partners from 19 countries currently participating. One of the reasons for the setting up the network is that relevant knowledge is dispersed across many disciplines, including molecular biology, medical genetics, bioinformatics, social justice, and ethical studies. SAFE brings together leading experts from the key disciplines in a programme designed to achieve intellectual and practical integration with a view to enhance the efficacy of NIPD and NS for genetic disorders within and beyond the European Community. For more information please visit: http://www.safenoe.org/

Contact: Polly Young
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Federal Judge Rules Missouri Must Provide Transport For Pregnant Inmates Wishing To Have Abortions

2007-04-15T18:33:00.001-07:00

Trial Postponed For Advocate Who Challenged China's One-Child Policy

2007-04-15T17:33:00.001-07:00

Antiabortion Group Protesting For Closure Of Jackson, Miss., Abortion Clinic Denied Restraining Order Against Police

2007-04-15T16:36:00.001-07:00

Kansas City Star Examines Pregnancy Prevention Program Aimed At Drug Users

2007-04-15T16:33:00.001-07:00

CQ's Carey Addresses Stem Cell Bills, Abortion Measure, Sunset Commissions, Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill

2007-04-15T15:36:00.001-07:00

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses President Bush's veto last week of legislation that would have expanded federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, a Senate bill (S 403) that would make it illegal to take minors across state lines to obtain abortions, the possible creation of "sunset" commissions to eliminate wasteful federal programs, and the Senate Appropriations Committee's approval of a $606 billion Labor-HHS-Education spending bill for fiscal year 2007 in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ." According to Carey, Bush vetoed the stem cell bill because it would support "the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others." Carey also discusses a measure (S 403) that would make it a federal crime to take minors across lines to obtain an abortion to avoid state parental notification and consent laws. The bill is expected to pass, Carey says. In addition, she examines legislation sponsored by House and Senate Republicans that would create "sunset" commissions to eliminate federal programs members consider wasteful. Advocates for seniors and the disabled are concerned the legislation could overhaul or eliminate Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, Carey writes, adding that the measure is unlikely to be approved. Finally, Carey discusses a $606 billion FY 2007 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill, which was approved last week by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill includes $64.2 billion for HHS and $28.5 billion for NIH, $220 million more than the amount allocated in FY 2006 and $200 million more than Bush requested. The bill also would provide $1.9 billion for community health centers, $6.1 billion for CDC and $119 million for CDC to prepare for a possible flu pandemic (Carey, "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ," 7/24).

The complete audio version of "Health on the Hill," transcript and resources for further research are available online.

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Senate Begins Debate On Federal Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act

2007-04-15T15:33:00.001-07:00

The Senate on Friday began debate on legislation (S 403) that would allow federal charges to be filed against any individual who transports minors across state lines for the purpose of evading state abortion parental notification or consent laws, the Associated Press reports (Associated Press, 7/21). The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), would authorize fines or up to one year in prison for people who violate the measure. The measure includes an exception if an abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant minor and would allow minors to gain judicial bypass from a judge in their home states to avoid parental notification. Under the bill, doctors who perform abortions on minors from other states also could be subject to penalties. The measure states that abortion providers in states without parental consent laws would be required to attempt to notify in person or by certified mail a parent or legal guardian of any minor abortion patient who is a resident of another state (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/25/05). A similar bill (HR 748), approved by the House in April 2005, would authorize fines of up to $100,000 or up to one year in prison for people who violate the measure and also could penalize doctors who perform abortions on minors from other states (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/6/05). Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is "prepared" to file for a cloture motion to end debate on the measure if a deal is not reached, CQ Today reports. Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) said if Republicans block proposed amendments, then Senate Democrats will gauge the possibility of a filibuster, CQ Today reports (Perine, CQ Today, 7/20). Democrats are expected to propose an amendment, by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), that would exempt grandparents and clergy members from being prosecuted under the legislation. Ensign has said that such an amendment is unnecessary because state parental notification and consent laws allow for minors to apply for judicial bypasses, which circumvent the parental consent requirement (Perine, CQ Today, 7/21). In addition, Democrats are expected to propose an amendment that would reaffirm support for the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case -- which effectively barred state abortion bans. The Senate this week is expected to approve bill, and Republican and Democratic aides have said the parties likely will reach an agreement that will prevent the need for cloture, CQ Today reports (CQ Today, 7/20). Twenty-two states have parental consent laws in place that require a parent or guardian to provide written permission before a minor can receive an abortion, and seven states require facilities that provide abortion to notify parents prior to the procedure (Ertelt, LifeNews.com, 7/21).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Revised South Dakota Homicide Law Could Allow Abortion Providers To Be Charged With First-Degree Murder If They Violate Ban On Procedure

2007-04-15T14:37:00.001-07:00

Dave Gerdes, an attorney for the South Dakota State Medical Association, in a recent legal memo said that, under a revised state homicide law, physicians who violate a state law (HB 1215) that bans abortion except to save the life of the pregnant woman could be charged with first-degree murder, the AP/Aberdeen American News reports. The state Legislature last year approved an amended version of the state criminal code that changed the definition of first-degree murder to include the premeditated killing of "any unborn child," the AP/News reports. "It is at least possible that a prosecutor or a court will decide that a physician performing a procedure qualifying as an abortion under the language of the new statute can be prosecuted for first-degree murder," Gerdes wrote, adding, "As a practical matter, in due course a federal court will likely restrain the effect of [the ban] until its constitutionality is litigated. But a period of doubt may exist." The ban, which has not yet taken effect, will be on the statewide ballot in November. If approved, the law would take effect and then likely would be challenged in court. State Rep. Roger Hunt (R), the ban's sponsor, said physicians who break the law would be faced with a Class 5 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. However, Gerdes said that the inclusion of the "any unborn child" phrase under the revised homicide law raises a "legal uncertainty" about the potential for elevated penalties. Hunt, who also is a lawyer, said the report by Gerdes was "kind of a biased, incomplete view of the subject," but he did not rule out the chance that a physician could be charged with murder in some circumstances. "I've never been a state's attorney, but I do know that when you take the life of a human being in our society, every state's attorney is going to look at all potential charges -- murder all the way down to manslaughter and aggravated assault," Hunt said. He also said first-degree murder is an offense that a state's attorney would "not tak[e] lightly." Gov. Mike Rounds (R) said his office did not consider the likelihood that the new homicide law could increase the seriousness of charges against physicians if they violate the ban. He added that state lawmakers could address the situation in future legislative sessions if the law takes effect. "Even if one Legislature did not, you would have perhaps two or three that could review it," Rounds said (AP/Aberdeen American News, 7/22).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Senate Approves Bill That Would Criminalize Assisting Minors To Circumvent State Parental Notification Laws

2007-04-15T14:33:00.001-07:00

The Senate on Tuesday voted 65-34 to approve a bill (S 403) that would allow federal charges to be filed against any individual who transports minors across state lines for the purpose of evading state abortion parental notification or consent laws, the Washington Post reports (Babington, Washington Post, 7/26). Under the bill, sponsored by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), people who violate the measure would be subject to a fine or up to one year in prison. The measure includes an exception if an abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant minor (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/24). Senate leaders last week agreed to vote on a small list of amendments to the legislation before a final vote, CQ Today reports. Senators on Tuesday voted 98-0 to approve an amendment, sponsored by Ensign and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), that would bar a father who rapes his daughter from suing anyone who assists in her abortion, as well as bars anyone committing incest on a minor from transporting a minor to another state to obtain an abortion, according to CQ Today. Boxer said the amendment is an "improvement" on the legislation, but she added that the bill still allows parental consent rights to fathers who impregnate their daughters and does not ban the criminal prosecution of people who assist minors who became pregnant through incest (Perine/Stern, CQ Today, 7/25). According to National Right to Life Legislative Director Douglas Johnson, 26 states that have parental consent laws would be affected (Hulse, New York Times, 7/26). Minors or their parents could not be charged under the legislation (Washington Post, 7/26).

Rejected Amendments
Senators on Tuesday voted 51-48 to reject an amendment by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) that would have created new grants to teach comprehensive sex education and also would have increased after-school program funding (Fagan, Washington Times, 7/26). Another amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would have exempted grandparents and clergy members from prosecution under the bill was not brought to a vote because Feinstein was absent, and Senate Republicans did not allow Boxer to offer it instead, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/26). Fourteen Democrats and 51 Republicans voted for the final measure, and 29 Democrats, independent Sen. James Jeffords (Vt.) and Republican Sens. Lincoln Chafee (R.I.), Susan Collins (Maine), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and Arlen Specter (Pa.) voted against it (Goldberg, Chicago Tribune, 7/26).

House Bill, Next Steps
The House in April 2005 voted to approve similar parental consent legislation (HR 748) that would authorize fines of up to $100,000 or up to one year in prison for people who violate the measure (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/24). The House version also requires out-of-state physicians to provide 24 hours' notice to a minor's parents or they will be subject to criminal prosecution and allows parents of minors who undergo abortion to file a lawsuit against the person who performs the procedure (New York Times, 7/26). Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) prevented Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's (R-Tenn.) attempt to appoint members to a House-Senate conference committee to resolve differences on the measures, saying that the Senate bill had not yet been heard in a committee and that it would be too early to have discussions between the chambers, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Kellman, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/26). The delay of a conference committee leaves the "ultimate outcome of the legislation in doubt," CQ Today reports (CQ Today, 7/25). However, Republican leaders in both chambers said they are confident the bill will be approved before Congress recesses for the November elections, the Los Angeles Times reports (Levey, Los Angeles Times, 7/26). President Bush in a statement said he supports the legislation, adding, "Transporting minors across state lines to bypass parental consent laws regarding abortion undermines state law and jeopardizes the lives of young women" (Kenen, Reuters, 7/25). The White House added that the measure would "protect the health and safety of minors" and would "protect the rights of the parents to be involved in the medical decisions of their minor daughters consistent with the widespread belief among authorities in the field that it is the parents of a pregnant minor who are best suited to provide her counsel, guidance and support" (Washington Post, 7/26).

Reaction
Supporters of the bill said it would prevent boyfriends and others from pressuring girls to have abortions, while opponents said the bill could harm girls' safety because some parents could beat their daughter if they found out she planned to undergo the procedure, the Post reports (Washington Post, 7/26). Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said that opponents of the legislation "want to strip the overwhelming majority of good parents of their rightful role and responsibility because of the misbehavior of a few" (AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/26). Specter said, "There are too many situations where teenagers have lost the ability to communicate with their parents," adding, "I believe the existing laws are working out reasonably well" (CQ Today, 7/25). Boxer said the bill passed by the Senate is unconstitutional because it lacks exceptions for when the girl's health is in jeopardy and would require state laws to apply in other states (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/26).

Broadcast Coverage
NPR's "Morning Edition" recently included several segments on the legislation:

The program on Wednesday reported on Senate passage of the bill. The segment includes comments from Boxer, Durbin, Ensign and Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) (Naylor, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/26). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

The program on Wednesday reported on how the federal measure would impact states, such as Massachusetts, that have parental notification laws that allow for judicial waivers and bordering states without parental notification laws, such as Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The segment includes comments from Marie Sturgis, executive director of Massachusetts Citizens for Life; a minor who assisted another female minor in obtaining a waiver from a judge to obtain an abortion without her parents' permission; and a clinical assistant who performs intakes at the Greater Boston Center, a Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts clinic (Arnold, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/26). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

The program on Tuesday reported on debate over the legislation. The segment includes comments from Johnson and Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/25). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

Amnesty International Considering Proposals To Support Contraception Access, List Abortion In Some Cases As Human Right

2007-04-15T13:37:00.001-07:00

Amnesty International as soon as next year could decide on proposals that would support legal access to contraception and access to abortion in cases of rape or to save the life of the woman, the AP/San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The proposals arose from the group's program to curb violence against women. The group said issues such as forced marriage of young girls and illegal abortions also are being discussed. As a result of the proposals, some abortion-rights opponents and Roman Catholic officials are threatening to drop their membership and donations. Amnesty, a Nobel Peace Prize winning human-rights group with more than 1.8 million members, was founded in 1961 by a Catholic lawyer in the United Kingdom, and religious groups "have long been a pillar of the organization," according to the AP/Union-Tribune. However, Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Pontifical Council Office for Justice and Peace, and other high-ranking Catholic officials have disparaged the abortion- and contraception-related proposals. The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child, one of the U.K.'s largest antiabortion groups, has urged members not to support Amnesty if the proposals pass. "This is completely inconsistent with what Amnesty has been about," John-Henry Westen, board member of the Toronto-based Campaign Life Coalition, said, adding, "We consider this an attack on the rights of the unborn." According to the AP/Union-Tribune, a decision on the proposals could be reached at the group's next international meeting in Mexico in August 2007, but the group in a statement said "much depends on the outcomes" of debates among organization members around the world. The statement also says that Amnesty policy decisions "are rooted in human rights values, principles and standards" and the group "does not make policy according to the ebbs and flows of external pressure." High-ranking Amnesty officials were unavailable for comment (Murphy, AP/San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/24).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Oregon Initiative That Would Require Abortion Parental Notification Qualifies For November Ballot

2007-04-15T13:33:00.001-07:00

An Oregon initiative that would require physicians to notify by certified mail a parent or guardian at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor ages 15 to 17 has qualified to be placed on the statewide ballot in November, the AP/OregonLive.com reports (AP/OregonLive.com, 7/25). Under the proposed notification initiative, which is sponsored by Oregon Right to Life, minors would be exempt from the measure if their life or health is at risk, and physicians who refuse to comply with the notification requirement would face civil penalties. The initiative also would allow for judicial bypass in cases of potential abuse (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/10). According to the AP/OregonLive.com, supporters on July 6 submitted to the Secretary of State's office 115,845 signatures, which qualifies the measure for the statewide ballot (AP/OregonLive.com, 7/25). ORTL needed to collect 75,630 valid signatures by July 7 (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/10).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Report Summarizes Editorials About Bill That Would Criminalize Assisting Minors To Circumvent Parental Notification Laws

2007-04-15T12:36:00.001-07:00

Several editorials on Thursday were published on a bill (S 403) that would allow federal charges to be filed against any individual who transports minors across state lines for the purpose of evading state abortion parental notification or consent laws. The Senate on Tuesday voted 65-34 to approve the bill, which was sponsored by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.). Under the bill, people who violate the measure would be subject to a fine or up to one year in prison. The measure includes an exception if an abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant minor. In addition, the bill would bar a father who rapes his daughter from suing anyone who assists in her abortion, as well as bars anyone committing incest on a minor from transporting a minor to another state to obtain an abortion (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/26). Summaries appear below.

Orlando Sentinel: The Senate measure is "just election-year fodder" and is an "issue that belongs with the states," a Sentinel editorial says. "Congress has no reason -- other than political -- to be involved in this debate," the editorial adds, concluding, "The states are handling it just fine" (Orlando Sentinel, 7/27).

New York Times: The Senate bill is a "mean piece of legislation, which takes a politically popular concept and applies it to a range of cases that could include particularly desperate young women," a Times editorial says. "The underlying intent of the bill's sponsors was to score pre-election points with social conservatives ... in a way that would not alarm moderate voters who believe that parents should know if their child is pregnant and considering an abortion," the editorial says (New York Times, 7/27).

San Jose Mercury News: The Senate legislation "achieves the far right's more overriding goal," which is to do "everything possible to chip away at the constitutional right to have an abortion," a Mercury News editorial says. According to the editorial, if the Senate majority was concerned with the "best interests of girls," they would have granted exemptions for girls that are accompanied by members of the clergy or grandparents; they would have granted exemptions for victims of incest; and they would have made provisions in the bill for the children in the U.S. that do not live with either parent. "Congress has wisely not intervened to require that parents be notified when children seek treatment for such problems as mental health, drug abuse or sexually transmitted diseases," the editorial says, concluding, "The same should be true for abortion" (San Jose Mercury News, 7/27).

Republicans Criticize Some Senate Democrats Trying To Block Bill That Would Criminalize Assisting Minors To Skirt State Parental Notification Laws

2007-04-15T12:33:00.001-07:00

Some Republicans have criticized some Senate Democrats who used a procedural move to try to block a conference committee from reconciling House and Senate bills that would allow federal charges to be filed against any individual who transports minors across state lines for the purpose of evading state abortion parental notification or consent laws, the Washington Times reports (Fagan, Washington Times, 7/28). Under the Senate version (S 403) of the bill, sponsored by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), people who circumvent state parental notification or consent laws by transporting minors across state lines to undergo an abortion would be subject to a fine or up to one year in prison. The Senate measure includes an exception if an abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant minor. The Senate bill also would bar a father who rapes his daughter from suing anyone who assists in her abortion and would bar anyone committing incest on a minor from transporting her to another state to obtain an abortion. The House in April 2005 voted to approve similar legislation (HR 748) that would authorize fines of up to $100,000 or up to one year in prison, or both, for people who circumvent state parental notification or consent laws. The House version also requires out-of-state physicians to provide 24 hours' notice to a minor's parents or they will be subject to criminal prosecution and allows parents of minors who undergo abortion to file a lawsuit against the person who performs the procedure. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) on Tuesday prevented Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's (R-Tenn.) attempt to appoint members to a House-Senate conference committee to resolve differences on the measures, saying that the Senate bill had not yet been heard in a committee and that it would be too early to have discussions between the chambers (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/26).

More Details
Durbin blocked the bill from being sent to the committee because he was concerned that Senate Republicans in the conference would accept the House version of the bill, which some people consider to be more restrictive on abortion rights, according to a Durbin spokesperson, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (Hegstad, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/27). Ensign responded, "What the Democrats are doing is not fair, not right," adding, "There is not an issue that separates people more than the abortion issue. ... We finally found some common ground. For the Democrats now to step up and block this is really outrageous" (Washington Times, 7/28). Representatives of some groups that oppose abortion rights, such as National Right to Life Committee President Douglas Johnson, blame Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who voted for the bill, for the Democrats' action. Johnson compared Reid to former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), "who would go back home to South Dakota and tell people he was for various pieces of legislation, then would work very skillfully to prevent those pieces of legislation from going all the way through." Reid in a statement responded, "Republicans are in control of both the House and Senate. If the supporters of this legislation are concerned about delays, they should encourage [Frist] to push the House to pass the Senate-passed bill" (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/27). But House Republicans are adamant about having negotiations with the Senate, Kevin Madden, spokesperson for House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), said, adding, "We don't want to pass a weaker bill" (Washington Times, 7/28). Frist, at a news conference, said that he had the 60 votes required to remove the block but that it would take several days to obtain the votes. He did not say when he would consider using the procedural move to overcome the Democrats' block (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/27).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Sen. Frist Says Support Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Opposition To Abortion Rights Not Inconsistent

2007-04-15T11:36:00.001-07:00

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a potential 2008 presidential candidate, in an interview on Thursday said there is not an "inconsistency" between his abortion-rights opposition and his support of a bill (HR 810) that would have expanded human embryonic stem cell research funding, the Des Moines Register reports (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 7/28). The bill, called the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 -- which President Bush vetoed last week -- would have allowed funding for research using stem cells derived from embryos originally created for fertility treatments and willingly donated by patients. Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research is only allowed for research using embryonic stem cell lines created on or before Aug. 9, 2001, under a policy announced by Bush on that date (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/27). Frist in a July 13 San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece wrote, "Although I am antiabortion and believe the human embryo has moral significance from the moment of conception, I will back this embryonic stem cell research package on the Senate floor," in part because "it has now become clear that [Bush's] policy will eventually hold back scientific progress" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/13). Frist on Thursday said that until the embryonic stem cell debate, "people said you're really for science or you're for preservation of life," but that is "not right" (Des Moines Register, 7/28). "You can be pro-life and support stem cell research," Frist said, adding, "The consistency is having a pro-life (stand) and an ethical framework" for the research (Tibbetts, Quad-City Times, 7/28). He also said that Republican abortion-rights opponents could support him despite his views on embryonic stem cell research, adding that the Republican Party "has both the diversity of views -- still, a pro-life position -- and the support of science" (Des Moines Register, 7/28). The embryonic stem cell research debate "shows the breadth of the party," according to Frist (Quad-City Times, 7/28).

Newspapers Examine Stem Cell Funding, Election Implications
In related news, the Christian Science Monitor on Friday examined the election implications of Bush's veto and the embryonic stem cell issue (Feldmann, Christian Science Monitor, 7/28). The Wall Street Journal on Friday examined the current status of private and state funding for the research (Hughes, Wall Street Journal, 7/28).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Mich. House Approves Bills Requiring Abortion Clinics To Screen For Coercion, Intimidation

2007-04-15T11:33:00.001-07:00

The Michigan House on Wednesday voted 67-38 to approve a package of bills (HB 5879, HB 5880, HB 5881, HB 5882, HB 5883) that would require abortion clinics to determine if women seeking abortions are undergoing the procedure because they have been intimidated or coerced, the AP/Mlive.com reports. The bills also would make coercing and intimidating women into seeking an abortion illegal and would give coerced women the ability to file a civil lawsuit. State Rep. Stephen Adamini (D) introduced an amendment, which the House did not support, that would have made it illegal to coerce a women into undergoing or not undergoing an abortion. Opponents of the bills say the legislation discourages women from seeking abortions, but advocates of the measures say that the bills attempt to "crack down on domestic violence," the AP/Mlive.com reports. "It is not about abortion," state Rep. Judy Emmons (R), a sponsor of the bills, said, adding, "It is about domestic violence ... all aspects of domestic violence and how it affects women." Adamini said the approved legislation violates a woman's constitutional rights and is discriminatory. The bills now move to the state Senate for consideration (Martin, AP/Mlive.com, 7/26).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

CQ's Carey Addresses Abortion Bill That Would Criminalize Assisting Minors To Skirt State Parental Notification Laws

2007-04-15T10:36:00.001-07:00

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses an abortion-related bill (S 403), passed last week by the Senate, that would allow federal charges to be filed against individuals who violate parental consent and notification laws in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ." Carey says that Democrats objected to begin immediately a House-Senate conference that would reconcile the Senate-approved version of the bill and a similar House-approved bill (HR 748) (Carey, "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ," 7/24).

The complete audio version of "Health on the Hill," transcript and resources for further research are available online.

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Religion Becoming More Apparent In Abortion-Rights Supporters' Debate, Column Says

2007-04-15T10:33:00.001-07:00

Religious groups that support abortion rights are "increasingly active and visible," and "their emphasis on conscience and morality ... has the potential to change the terms of the abortion[-rights] debate," Brooklyn-based journalist Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow writes in a Boston Globe column. Like religious abortion-rights opponents, the religious abortion-rights supporters use the Bible to validate their support of abortion rights, Tuhus-Dubrow writes. She adds, "Instead of rights, the [religious abortion-rights] movement tends to emphasize moral agency and conscience," stressing the "sanctity of life and the obligation to protect the vulnerable," which consists first of women and their children. The acknowledgement of a multifaceted moral view of abortion "historically" has been "taboo in the polarized abortion debate," but the religious abortion-rights movement is "not shy about acknowledging the moral complexity" of the issue, Tuhus-Dubrow writes. Some politicians -- including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who in January 2005 said that abortion "represents a sad, even tragic choice to many, many women" -- have "embraced the idea of moral complexity," according to Tuhus-Dubrow. Despite the reluctance of some abortion-rights supporters to "embrace the approach" of religious groups that support abortion rights, the "influence of religion is increasingly evident throughout the abortion-rights movement," Tuhus-Dubrow writes (Tuhus-Dubrow, Boston Globe, 7/30).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Editorial, Opinion Pieces Respond To Bill That Would Criminalize Assisting Minors To Circumvent State Parental Notification Laws

2007-04-15T09:36:00.001-07:00

An editorial, opinion piece and letter to the editor respond to a bill (S 403) that would allow federal charges to be filed against any individual who transports minors across state lines for the purpose of evading state abortion parental notification or consent laws. The Senate last week voted 65-34 to approve the bill, which was sponsored by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.). Under the bill, people who violate the measure would be subject to a fine or up to one year in prison. The measure includes an exception if an abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant minor. In addition, the bill would bar a father who rapes his daughter from suing anyone who assists in her abortion, as well as bars anyone committing incest on a minor from transporting a minor to another state to obtain an abortion (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/26). Summaries appear below.

Editorial

Boston Globe: If supporters of the Senate bill "truly wanted to reduce the incidence of abortion, they would focus on reducing unwanted pregnancy, but many of the same senators" who voted for the bill "defeated funding for increased pregnancy prevention grants," a Globe editorial says. "Criminalizing the act of driving minors to abortion clinics in other states won't do anything to reduce teen pregnancy, but it could drive teen abortion underground, making it unsafe, as well as illegal," the editorial says. Supporters of the bill "claim to care about traumatized girls being pressured into having abortions, but this bill would press them into lives of ... despair," the editorial says (Boston Globe, 7/29).

Opinion Piece

Judith Warner, New York Times: "[R]adical Republicans ... have cleverly linked [the Senate bill] to one of the most basic beliefs of mainstream parenting today: namely, that parents have a right to know everything about their children and to control every aspect of their lives," Warner, author of "Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety," writes in a Times opinion piece. "It is not unreasonable for parents to want to know what's going on with their kids," Warner writes, adding, "I would just suggest that parental rights have limits." She adds that to deny girls seeking abortions "access to freedom from forced pregnancy ... is to abuse them" (Warner, New York Times, 7/29).

Letter to the Editor

Carol Roye, New York Times: "[T]he senators who voted for [the Senate bill] got it wrong," Clark, professor of nursing at Hunter College Schools of the Health Professions, writes in a Times letter to the editor, adding, "If teenagers do not tell their parents" they plan to undergo the procedure, "there is usually a good reason." She concludes, if this bill is signed into law, "[w]ho will protect those teenagers who stand to be abused if they reveal the pregnancy to their parents?" (Roye, New York Times, 7/30).

CQ's Carey Addresses Health IT Legislation, Medicare Payments, Abortion Bill

2007-04-15T09:33:00.001-07:00

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses the House's passage of health information technology legislation, Medicare physician payments and an abortion-related bill passed last week by the Senate that would allow federal charges to be filed against individuals violating parental consent and notification laws in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ." Carey notes that the House last week voted 270-148 to approve a bill (S 1418) that would promote use of health IT. The bill differs from one (HR 4157) the Senate approved in November 2005 on privacy, funding and other issues. In other news, lawmakers in the House and Senate have said that they want to take action this year to reverse a scheduled 5% reduction in Medicare physician payments. Carey notes that such a plan could be difficult because of the complexity of the issue, the limited amount of time left in the congressional session and funding needed to reverse the cut. CMS Administrator Mark McClellan told lawmakers that CMS would work with them to address the payment issue but said that legislators would need to implement new quality measures and other steps before putting more funds into the payments. Finally, Carey talks about a bill (S 403) approved by the Senate that would establish as a federal crime the act of taking pregnant minors across state lines to avoid parental notification and contsent laws to obtain abortions. The House has passed a similar bill (HR 748), though some Democrats objected to immediately beginning a House-Senate conference to reconcile the legislation (Carey, "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ," 7/31).

The complete audio version of "Health on the Hill," transcript and resources for further research are available online.

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

FDA Chief Calls For Meeting With Barr Subsidiary, Says Age Restriction In Nonprescription Plan B Application Should Be Raised To 18

2007-04-15T08:37:00.001-07:00

FDA and Barr Laboratories have agreed to meet to discuss the company's application for nonprescription sales of its emergency contraceptive Plan B, FDA announced in a statement Monday, adding that it hoped remaining concerns regarding the application "can be wrapped up in a matter of weeks," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (McCullough, Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/1). FDA in May 2004 issued a "not approvable" letter in response to an application originally submitted by pharmaceutical company Women's Capital for nonprescription sales of Plan B, which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse. Women's Capital later was purchased by Barr (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/15). The agency cited inadequate data on its use among girls younger than age 16. After FDA rejected Barr's first application, the company submitted a revised application to make the drug available only to girls and women ages 16 and older (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/23/04). After FDA rejected Barr's first application, the company submitted a revised application to make the drug available only to girls and women ages 16 and older. Former FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford in August 2005 opened a 60-day public comment period on the application, saying science supported approval of nonprescription Plan B access for women and girls ages 17 and older, but the application presented FDA "with many difficult and novel policy and regulatory issues," including enforcement of an age restriction. The comment period expired in November 2005, and the agency did not indicate when it might make a decision on the application (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/25).

Letter
A July 31 letter from acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to Barr's subsidiary Duramed Pharmaceuticals says that 18 is the "appropriate age" to allow women to buy Plan B without a prescription (Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times, 8/1). In the letter, von Eschenbach asked Barr to raise the age restriction in its application from age 16 to 18 (Rockoff, Baltimore Sun, 8/1). FDA also requested that Barr make unspecified changes to the packaging for Plan B and asked for a thorough description of Barr's plan to enforce the age restriction (Weiss, Washington Post, 8/1). Barr intends to make nonprescription Plan B available only at pharmacies -- not in gasoline stations or convenience stores -- and to require that the pills be placed behind the counter and that individuals purchasing the medication present photo identification, the New York Times reports (Saul, New York Times, 8/1). Von Eschenbach in the letter wrote that FDA wants to learn more about Barr's plan to monitor pharmacies' compliance with the age restriction and what the company plans to do "if a pharmacy fails to comply with them." Von Eschenbach added, "If after our discussions we conclude (your) program isn't sufficiently rigorous ... Plan B will remain [prescription]-only for women of all ages" (Graham, Chicago Tribune, 8/1). The letter "stopped far short" of saying FDA will approve Barr's application, but the consideration of the application is a reversal of a previous implication that the agency might not have the legal authority to approve the application with an age restriction, the Washington Post reports (Washington Post, 8/1). The letter addresses the agency's authority to approve the application and says that after reviewing a summarized and categorized contractor's report, submitted May 19, on the roughly 47,000 public comments, FDA agrees with the majority of comments that said it is not necessary to "engage in rule making" to address the age-related regulatory issues (FDA letter, 7/31). The letter requests a meeting with Barr within seven days (Rackl, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/1).

Reaction
Barr CEO Bruce Downey said he is pleased with FDA's communication but added that the proof will be in the outcome of the application. He said the company's age-restriction plan "provides adequate safeguards," adding that he still believes the drug should be available without a prescription to women and girls of all ages (Wilde Mathews, Wall Street Journal, 8/1). Barr spokesperson Carol Cox said that the company needs to meet with FDA to receive "some clarity" about what FDA officials need from the company (Rubin, USA Today, 8/1). She also said that the company had some concerns about what Barr would be required to show to be in accordance with the letter's requirements but added that Barr would be "pleased to set up a meeting as soon as possible with FDA." She said, "Overall, I think [the letter is] a positive development" (Washington Post, 8/1). HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said the letter shows a "good-faith effort on the part of Dr. von Eschenbach to help resolve the issues surrounding Plan B" (Los Angeles Times, 8/1). In addition, the announcement has "raised hopes" among nonprescription Plan B advocates that the "unusually glacial review of Plan B might soon accelerate," according to the Post (Washington Post, 8/1).

Von Eschenbach Confirmation Hearing Begins
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Tuesday is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on the nomination of von Eschenbach to permanently head the agency (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/26). FDA spokesperson Susan Bro said the agency made the letter public "in anticipation of needing to bring before the committee ... the agency's response to the review process" of Plan B and to "resolve what has been one of the most divisive issues this agency has faced" (Carey/Crowley, CQ Today, 7/31). Bro said that von Eschenbach wanted to talk to the committee about the agency's plan for a decision on the Plan B application, adding, "This is a model for how he currently makes decisions and will continue to as the leader of this critically important public health issue" (New York Times, 8/1). She also said von Eschenbach did not want Plan B to be the focus of the hearing, adding he "believes that resolving this issue is a critical step in moving the agency's agenda forward" (USA Today, 8/1).

Murray, Rodham Clinton Continue Hold on Nomination
Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on Monday reiterated their plan to place a hold on von Eschenbach's nomination until FDA makes a final decision on Barr's application (USA Today, 8/1). The agency's announcement on Monday was "nothing more than another delay tactic," Murray and Rodham Clinton said in a statement, adding, "Rather than moving this process forward and doing right by the American people, the [Bush] administration is continuing to play a game of smoke and mirrors the day before Dr. von Eschenbach's Senate confirmation hearing" (Pugh, McClatchy/Charlotte Observer, 8/1). Murray and Rodham Clinton said the hold should be sufficient to block von Eschenbach's confirmation (USA Today, 8/1). However, if Bush gives von Eschenbach the job through a recess appointment, their efforts would be unsuccessful, they said (Washington Post, 8/1). The White House declined to comment on the hold (USA Today, 8/1).

Related Editorial
"If the FDA is truly ready to give Plan B its approval, then von Eschenbach surely will not mind a short delay in his confirmation while the agency and the drug maker work out the details" of the agreement, a Los Angeles Times editorial says. While FDA's announcement comes at an "awfully convenient" time, if the agency "follows through" with the approval of Plan B for nonprescription sales, then U.S. women will be the "real winners," the editorial says, concluding, "[M]aybe Monday's announcement is a sign that the FDA is less interested in acting as the judge of women's morals than as the protector of their health" (Los Angeles Times, 8/1).

Related Lawsuit
The Center for Reproductive Rights in a July 21 letter to a federal judge requested that the White House provide any letters, e-mails or records of conversations its staff exchanged with FDA in regard to Barr's application, the AP/Forbes reports (AP/Forbes, 7/28). CRR -- on behalf of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and others -- filed a lawsuit against FDA in a U.S. District Court in New York, claiming the agency did not follow procedure when it denied the original nonprescription Plan B application (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/15). A hearing on the July 21 request -- which was sent to federal Magistrate Viktor Pohorelsky, who is hearing arguments in the lawsuit -- is scheduled for Thursday in New York City. CRR also is seeking to depose White House official Jay Lefkowitz, the AP/Forbes reports (AP/Forbes, 7/28). CRR attorney Bonnie Jones in May told Pohorelsky that CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, while head of FDA, had a discussion with a White House official about Plan B. A copy of McClellan's appointment calendar for April 21, 2003, a few days after Women's Capital's application submission, reads, "Conference call w/Jay Lefkowitz re: Plan B submis." Lefkowitz is the former deputy assistant to President Bush on domestic policy and currently serves as special envoy on human rights in North Korea (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/15). Todd Glass, a spokesperson for CRR, said the government has requested a continuance in the lawsuit (Washington Post, 8/1).

Broadcast Coverage
Several broadcast programs recently reported on FDA's letter regarding Plan B:

ABCNews' "World News Tonight": The segment includes comments from Downey; Murray; and Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America (Stark, "World News Tonight," ABCNews, 7/31). Complete video of the segment is available online.

APM's "Marketplace Morning Report": The segment includes comments from Bridget Behling, managing editor of the Tan Sheet, a publication covering nonprescription pharmaceutical and nutritional products; and Brian Laegeler, an analyst for Morningstar (Milne-Tyte, "Marketplace Morning Report," APM, 8/1). The complete segment will be available online in RealPlayer a few hours after the broadcast.

NBC's "Nightly News": The segment includes comments from Rodham Clinton; Vanessa Cullins, vice president for medical affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America; and Wright (Costello, "Nightly News," NBC, 7/31). The complete segment is available online in Windows Media. In addition, video of a related MSNBC segment is available online in Windows Media.

NPR's "All Things Considered": The segment includes comments from Bro and Kirsten Moore, president of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project (Rovner, "All Things Considered," NPR, 7/31). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

NPR's "Morning Edition": The segment includes comments from Bro and Murray (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 8/1). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

Former Oglala Sioux Tribal President To Challenge Impeachment Over Proposed Abortion Clinic Donations Allegation

2007-04-15T08:34:00.001-07:00

Former Oglala Sioux Tribal President Cecelia Fire Thunder on Friday said she plans to challenge her impeachment by the Tribal Council for allegedly soliciting donations on behalf of the tribe for a proposed abortion clinic without the council's approval next week in the tribe's Supreme Court, the Rapid City Journal reports (Steen, Rapid City Journal, 7/28). Fire Thunder in March in response to the approval of the South Dakota law (HB 1215) that bans abortion except to save a woman's life said, "I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land, which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the state of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction." However, Fire Thunder in June said she had not intended to open a clinic that would perform the procedure but rather one that would provide family planning information, emergency contraception and other contraceptives. The tribal council last month voted 9-5 to replace Fire Thunder for allegedly soliciting donations without the council's approval for the proposed clinic. Tribal Judge Lisa Adams reinstated Fire Thunder last month, arguing that her removal violated tribal procedure. However, she retracted her decision after receiving a motion that said she did not have the authority to issue an injunction against the tribe or a tribal official and later recused herself from the case (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/20). Fire Thunder said she has not received due process in the lower court and is appealing the decision on procedural grounds. When Adams recused herself from Fire Thunder's case, proceedings were put on hold to allow the tribal council to appoint a new judge. Tribal council attorney Tom Blanco on Friday filed a motion to dismiss Fire Thunder's case (Rapid City Journal, 7/28).

Tribe's View of Abortion
Tribe members officially have not been surveyed, but many said they support exceptions to an abortion ban in the case of rape, incest or to protect the health of the pregnant woman, the Chicago Tribune reports. According to Department of Justice statistics, American Indian women are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than white women, and rape and incest are more common on reservations than in the rest of the U.S. Regardless of people's views on abortion, "people on both sides seem to agree" that "abortion is women's business, not suitable for men to be discussing in the chambers of the tribal council or anywhere else," according to the Tribune. The Oglala Tribal Council has passed an ordinance that prohibits abortion procedures on the reservation, the Tribune reports (Peres, Chicago Tribune, 7/30).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Women's Health Policy Issues Related To 2006 Elections

2007-04-15T07:33:00.001-07:00

The following highlights recent election-related news on women's health issues.

California: State Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides (D) on Friday in San Francisco made his first public statements in opposition to Proposition 85, a statewide ballot measure that would require doctors to notify parents or guardians before performing an abortion on a minor, the Sacramento Bee reports (Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 7/29). The measure would require unmarried girls younger than age 18 to inform a parent or legal guardian of their intention to have an abortion 48 hours before undergoing the procedure. The initiative is similar to Proposition 73, which failed in November 2005, but it eliminates language that defines abortion as resulting in the "death of an unborn child, conceived but not yet born." In addition, Proposition 85 does not include a provision in Proposition 73 that would have mandated reporting on how many judicial waivers a judge has approved (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/23). "There is now an effort by antichoice extremists to roll back the clock to a much darker day," Angelides said, adding, "The fact is, voters of California rejected a similar measure (last year) and said it was wrong for antichoice extremists and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to jeopardize teen safety." Schwarzenegger supported Proposition 73 last year but has not publicly stated a position on Proposition 85, according to the Bee. "The governor's position on parental notification has not changed," Katie Levinson, Schwarzenegger campaign spokesperson, said, adding, "The people spoke last year" in defeating Proposition 73 (Sacramento Bee, 7/29).

Michigan: Abortion-related issues in the 7th District are a key issue in the Republican primary, which is between Rep. Joe Schwarz and Tim Walberg, the Jackson Citizen Patriot reports. Schwarz, a physician and an abortion-rights supporter, has said that the "decision [to have an abortion] should not be made by a bunch of middle-aged, gray-haired men. ... It should be made by the woman herself." Walberg, who has called opposition to abortion rights a "moral absolute" and has said abortion should be illegal with no exceptions, in January was endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan, the state's largest abortion-rights opposition group. "The only exception I would give in very, very rare cases ... is for the life of the mother," Walberg said, adding, "Not the health of the mother. The health of the mother is fraught with too many vagaries and potential abuses" (Jackson Citizen Patriot, 7/30).

Tennessee: Candidates seeking the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race in Tennessee should focus their campaigns less on abortion-related issues and more on other state issues in advance of the party's primary Thursday, Lloyd Daugherty, chair of the state's Conservative Union, said Saturday at the group's annual Reagan Day Dinner in Knoxville, the AP/Knoxville News reports. "Some folks assume that all conservatives care about is abortion and gay marriage," he said, adding that efforts to ban abortion are "vitally important, but there is so much more to conservatism." The three leading candidates for the Republican nomination are Reps. Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary and former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker. Bryant and Hilleary have said they would support a state abortion ban that allows exceptions only to save the life of the woman, and Corker has said he would support a ban that allows exceptions for rape and incest and to save the pregnant woman's life. The winner of Thursday's primary likely will face Rep. Harold Ford in November (AP/Knoxville News, 7/31).

Senate Democrats Question New FDA Requirements For Nonprescription Plan B Application At Von Eschenbach Confirmation Hearing

2007-04-15T07:30:00.001-07:00

Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Tuesday during a confirmation hearing on acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach's nomination to permanently head the agency questioned him regarding the FDA's review of an application requesting approval for nonprescription sales of Barr Laboratories' emergency contraceptive Plan B, the Washington Post reports (Weiss, Washington Post, 8/2). FDA in May 2004 issued a "not approvable" letter in response to an application originally submitted by pharmaceutical company Women's Capital for nonprescription sales of Plan B, which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse. Barr purchased Women's Capital during consideration of the application. FDA in the "not approvable" letter cited inadequate data on its use among girls younger than age 16, and Barr subsequently submitted a revised application to make the drug available only to girls and women ages 16 and older. Former FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford in August 2005 opened a 60-day public comment period on the application, saying science supported approval of nonprescription Plan B access for women and girls ages 17 and older, but the application presented FDA "with many difficult and novel policy and regulatory issues," including how to enforce an age restriction. In a July 31 letter to Barr subsidiary Duramed Research, von Eschenbach wrote that 18 is the "appropriate age" to allow women to buy Plan B without a prescription and asked Barr to raise the age restriction in its application from 16 to 18. The letter also requested that Barr meet with FDA within seven days, make unspecified changes to the packaging for Plan B and provide a thorough description of the company's plan to enforce the age restriction. The letter says, "If after our discussions we conclude (your) program isn't sufficiently rigorous ... Plan B will remain [prescription]-only for women of all ages" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/1). Barr spokesperson Carol Cox on Tuesday said no decision had been made between FDA and the company on when the two would meet to discuss the application. FDA spokesperson Susan Bro on Tuesday said the agency plans to meet with Barr Monday (Bridges, AP/Forbes, 8/1).

Plan B Comments at Hearing
Von Eschenbach at the hearing said he would be open to approving nonprescription Plan B sales for women ages 18 and older, adding that approval could happen within weeks, the New York Times reports (Zernike, New York Times, 8/2). However, Democrats on the panel "hammered" the nominee on the "timing and substance" of the letter he sent to Duramed, the AP/Forbes reports (AP/Forbes, 8/1). "We all know what's going on here," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said, adding, "It's the disregard of science for ideological concerns" (New York Times, 8/2). Von Eschenbach said that he decided to consider the application based "not on a political ideology but on a medical ideology." If the letter "leads to a swift and clear decision, I applaud it," Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), the ranking Democrat on the committee said, adding, "[B]ut we must make certain that the [Bush] administration does not use it as yet another delaying tactic" (AP/Forbes, 8/1). Von Eschenbach said, "No one told me what I should or could do. No one told me what decision I must or must not make. [The letter] was my decision" (Rockoff/Beasley, Baltimore Sun, 8/2). He added that he is committed to "sound science" and candidness.

Age Limit, Enforcement Requirements Questioned
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) questioned why von Eschenbach requested a new age restriction for Barr's application. "Is there new data?" Reed asked, adding, "New analysis? Or have you just decided you don't like the conclusion of your predecessor?" (Washington Post, 8/2). Von Eschenbach said, "It's a cut[-off] point, and you have to have some cut[-off] point" (Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times, 8/2). He added that the age 18 limit offers a "greater safeguard in protecting and promoting the health" of young women (Pugh, McClatchy/Miami Herald, 8/1). Von Eschenbach also said that he decided on the age limit in part because tobacco products have the same age restriction. Reed said the limit "seems ... arbitrary" (Los Angeles Times, 8/2). Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) has placed a hold on von Eschenbach's nomination until FDA renders a decision on Plan B, questioned the requirement that Barr assure pharmacies are following the age restriction. She compared the condition to requiring that alcoholic beverage distillers ensure bars do not serve underage customers.

Outlook for Nomination
According to the Post, Republicans on the committee "generally sidestepped the Plan B fight," and all members on the panel "praised von Eschenbach's resume." Von Eschenbach served as director of the National Cancer Institute for four years and had a long career at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Some senators criticized what they say is the politicization of FDA, citing a survey released last month from the Union of Concerned Scientists (Washington Post, 8/2). The anonymous survey -- in which 997 of 5,918 FDA scientists responded -- finds that about one in six FDA scientists who participated in the survey said they have felt pressure to change the results of their work for nonscientific reasons (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 7/21). Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said the next FDA commission needs to improve on oversight of drug safety and low spirits at the agency (Baltimore Sun, 8/2). Von Eschenbach said he opposed proposed legislation to create an independent center for drug safety within FDA but said he would emphasize drug safety. He added that he would set up means to usefully deal with scientific disagreements (Cohen, Newark Star-Ledger, 8/2). HELP Committee Chair Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said he intended to vote on von Eschenbach's nomination after the Senate's August recess. "The question is not whether to confirm him. The question is whether to confirm him before Plan B is approved," Enzi said, adding, "So it's not a question of qualifications" (Baltimore Sun, 8/2). Murray said, "There are a lot of rumors about a recess appointment" for von Eschenbach to head the agency (Anderson, Dow Jones Newswires, 8/1). Rodham Clinton asked if von Eschenbach would accept a recess appointment from President Bush, to which he replied, "I want to look forward to the Senate's confirmation of me as your choice to be commissioner of the FDA" (Crowley, CQ Today, 8/1). Enzi said no one in the Bush administration had discussed a recess appointment with him (Dow Jones Newswires, 8/1).

Related Editorials

Boston Globe: Because Plan B prevents pregnancy, it "should be available without a prescription to women of all ages, [b]ut even sales to older women would represent progress," a Globe editorial says. Until nonprescription sales of Plan B to women ages 18 and older is approved, "senators should keep von Eschenbach's confirmation on hold," the editorial concludes (Boston Globe, 8/2).

New York Times: "[S]keptical Democratic senators are right to threaten to block a confirmation vote" on von Eschenbach until the agency makes a decision on nonprescription sales of Plan B, a Times editorial says. Although a hold on von Eschenbach's confirmation could be circumvented with a recess appointment by President Bush, if von Eschenbach wants to be the "Senate's choice, not just the president's, he would be wise to ask Mr. Bush to let the process move forward," the editorial concludes (New York Times, 8/2).

USA Today: While FDA's "proposed compromise" to consider allowing nonprescription access of Plan B to women ages 18 and older is an "important step forward," it continues to "fal[l] short on science and sensible policy" because it would not help prevent unintended pregnancy and abortion among girls under age 18, a USA Today editorial says. In addition, FDA "warned Barr ... that unless it provides details on how the age restriction would be rigorously enforced at pharmacies," the pill will remain available only by prescription, the editorial says, concluding that this "[s]ounds like a potential excuse to reject Plan B -- after von Eschenbach is confirmed" (USA Today, 8/2).

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Wednesday reported on von Eschenbach's hearing. The segment includes comments from Harkin, Mikulski and Rodham Clinton and von Eschenbach (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 8/2). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer. In addition, expanded NPR coverage -- including information on how Plan B works -- is available online.

Nine Washington State Women File Complaints About Lack of Access to Plan B
In related news, nine women in Washington state on Monday filed complaints with the state Board of Pharmacy alleging that four pharmacies failed to carry or stock EC despite a state regulation that requires them to fill such prescriptions, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The women said they were unable to receive 17 prescriptions for EC at four pharmacies in June and July. According to Steven Saxe, executive director of the state pharmacy board, a three-member panel of the board has 21 days to decide whether to take further action on the complaints or to dismiss them. If action is taken, investigators will have 170 days to issue recommendations for review, after which a panel of three board members will issue formal charges and seek fines or other penalties, the AP/Post-Intelligencer reports (AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/1).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Grand Jury Investigating Death Of Woman Who Underwent Abortion At Kansas Clinic, Issues No Indictments

2007-04-15T06:35:00.001-07:00

A Sedgwick County, Kan., grand jury investigating the death of a woman who died three days after undergoing an abortion at the Women's Health Care Services clinic in Wichita, Kan., has been dismissed without issuing an indictment, county District Attorney Nola Foulston said in a statement issued Monday, the Wichita Eagle reports (Sylvester, Wichita Eagle, 7/31). Christin Gilbert, a 19-year-old Texas resident with Down syndrome who was 28 weeks pregnant, died on Jan. 13, 2005, after undergoing an abortion at the clinic, which is owned by physician George Tiller. The Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, which regulates physicians, in December 2005 cleared Tiller and his staff of misconduct in Gilbert's death. However, Kansas law allows a grand jury to be formed within 60 days of a petition filed with a state district court if the petition has at least 100 more signatures than 2% of the number of people in the county who voted in the most recent gubernatorial election. Sedgwick County Election Office officials in April delivered a certified petition to Richard Ballinger, chief judge of Kansas's 18th judicial district, to convene a grand jury in Gilbert's case. The petition alleges the clinic committed violations, including involuntary manslaughter, mistreatment of a dependent adult, failure to report abuse of children and violation of abortion-related statutes (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/5). The grand jury in May began hearing testimony in the case. The antiabortion group Operation Rescue, which gathered signatures for the petition, in a statement expressed discontent with the grand jury's investigation (Wichita Eagle, 7/31).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Majority Of South Dakotans Against State Abortion Ban, Poll Says

2007-04-15T06:31:00.001-07:00

The majority of South Dakotans disapprove of a state law (HB 1215) that bans abortion except to save a woman's life, according to a KELO-TV/Sioux Falls Argus Leader poll released Monday, the AP/Washington Post reports (AP/Washington Post, 7/31). The ban, which has not yet taken effect, will be on the statewide ballot in November. If approved, the law would take effect and then likely would be challenged in court (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/25). The poll, which was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, surveyed 800 registered voters from July 24 through July 26, finding that 47% said they disapprove of the law, compared with 39% who approve of the measure and 14% who are undecided. The poll also finds that all of the people surveyed said they likely will vote in the election in November. In addition, the poll finds that if the measure were to allow for exceptions in cases of rape and incest, 59% of people would have supported it, compared with 29% who would have opposed it and 12% who would have been undecided. The margin of error in the poll was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon, told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, "It looks like that there's no exception made for rape and incest seems to be the factor that could sink this." He added, "That's the hook the opponents [of the measure] can really build their arguments on" (AP/Yankton Press & Dakotan, 8/1).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

CQ's Carey Addresses Stem Cell Bills, Abortion Measure, Sunset Commissions, Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill

2007-03-07T08:36:00.001-08:00

Senate Begins Debate On Federal Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act

2007-03-07T08:32:00.001-08:00

Revised South Dakota Homicide Law Could Allow Abortion Providers To Be Charged With First-Degree Murder If They Violate Ban On Procedure

2007-03-07T07:37:00.001-08:00

Senate Approves Bill That Would Criminalize Assisting Minors To Circumvent State Parental Notification Laws

2007-03-07T07:32:00.001-08:00

Broadcast Coverage
NPR's "Morning Edition" recently included several segments on the legislation:

The program on Wednesday reported on Senate passage of the bill. The segment includes comments from Boxer, Durbin, Ensign and Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) (Naylor, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/26). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

The program on Wednesday reported on how the federal measure would impact states, such as Massachusetts, that have parental notification laws that allow for judicial waivers and bordering states without parental notification laws, such as Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The segment includes comments from Marie Sturgis, executive director of Massachusetts Citizens for Life; a minor who assisted another female minor in obtaining a waiver from a judge to obtain an abortion without her parents' permission; and a clinical assistant who performs intakes at the Greater Boston Center, a Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts clinic (Arnold, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/26). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

The program on Tuesday reported on debate over the legislation. The segment includes comments from Johnson and Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/25). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

Amnesty International Considering Proposals To Support Contraception Access, List Abortion In Some Cases As Human Right

2007-03-07T06:36:00.001-08:00

Oregon Initiative That Would Require Abortion Parental Notification Qualifies For November Ballot

2007-03-07T06:32:00.001-08:00

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Report Summarizes Editorials About Bill That Would Criminalize Assisting Minors To Circumvent Parental Notification Laws

2007-03-07T05:36:00.001-08:00

Orlando Sentinel: The Senate measure is "just election-year fodder" and is an "issue that belongs with the states," a Sentinel editorial says. "Congress has no reason -- other than political -- to be involved in this debate," the editorial adds, concluding, "The states are handling it just fine" (Orlando Sentinel, 7/27).

New York Times: The Senate bill is a "mean piece of legislation, which takes a politically popular concept and applies it to a range of cases that could include particularly desperate young women," a Times editorial says. "The underlying intent of the bill's sponsors was to score pre-election points with social conservatives ... in a way that would not alarm moderate voters who believe that parents should know if their child is pregnant and considering an abortion," the editorial says (New York Times, 7/27).

San Jose Mercury News: The Senate legislation "achieves the far right's more overriding goal," which is to do "everything possible to chip away at the constitutional right to have an abortion," a Mercury News editorial says. According to the editorial, if the Senate majority was concerned with the "best interests of girls," they would have granted exemptions for girls that are accompanied by members of the clergy or grandparents; they would have granted exemptions for victims of incest; and they would have made provisions in the bill for the children in the U.S. that do not live with either parent. "Congress has wisely not intervened to require that parents be notified when children seek treatment for such problems as mental health, drug abuse or sexually transmitted diseases," the editorial says, concluding, "The same should be true for abortion" (San Jose Mercury News, 7/27).

Republicans Criticize Some Senate Democrats Trying To Block Bill That Would Criminalize Assisting Minors To Skirt State Parental Notification Laws

2007-03-07T05:32:00.001-08:00