Pro-Life News -- Digest #606

	Arizona: State Legislaure Considers Pro-Life Legislation Source: The Arizona Republic, Feb. 23, 1999 Phoenix -- A bill that would require abortion practitioners to inform women of the risks of having an abortion won preliminary approval Monday rom the state Senate despite concerns that it would be an unfunded mandate. The informed-consent abortion measure, Senate Bill 1343, was approved by a 15-12 vote. It still needs a final Senate vote before being sent to the House. The bill, similar to measures that have failed in the past two years, would require abortion practitioners to provide mothers with information about the physical and emotional risks of abortion. The information could be given either in person or over the telephone. After receiving such information, women would have to wait 24 hours before having an abortion. Sen. Ken Bennett (R) the bill's sponsor, said the legislation "has to do with making sure that the women of this state get the information they need to make a more informed choice." Meanwhile, an Arizona House panel has endorsed icensing of abortion facilities. Currently, Arizona only monitors facilities where patients stay overnight or get general anesthesia. A panel formed to look at regulation decided to focus only on abortion facilities because the issue was already a powder keg. The House convened the committee after reports of a woman who bled to death at a central Phoenix abortion facility in April. The abortion facility was also the site of a near-abortion in June that involved a woman 37 weeks along. The abortion ended up being a delivery. The baby's skull was permanently scarred, and late last week the family who adopted the baby filed a suit against Dr. John Biskind, claiming he was careless and negligent when he attempted the abortion. The bill that passed Tuesday, which would impose abortion facility licensing by April 1, 2000, could be a model for future regulations of all abortion facilities. In addition to laying down rules concerning equipment, procedures and employees, the measure also requires abortion practitioners to submit fetal tissues to the state health labs. The lab would check the fetal age. In the near-abortion, the abortion practitioner was working off an incorrect ultrasound performed by staf at the abortion facility that said the woman was about 23.6 weeks into her pregnancy. She was actually 37 weeks along, according to police reports. The fetal testing will affect only hundreds of the 11,000 abortions that are done in the state annually, said Rep. Susan Gerard, R-north Phoenix, head of the House health committee. Pro-abortion groups questioned the pro-life provision requiring those who perform abortions to have hospital privileges. Pro-life advocates sought the additional protections because abortion practitioners routinely maim women in abortions and do not conduct proper post-abortion follow-up. For More information Contact: Arizona Right to Life 77 E. Columbus Ave. Suite 209 Phoenix, AZ 85012 Phone: (602)285-0063
	Florida: Legislature Prepares for Pro-Life Bills Tallahassee -- After pro-life gains in the 1998 elections, pro-life legislation vetoed last year by former Gov. Lawton Chiles (D) stands a better chance with pro-life Gov. Jeb Bush (R). Several "hot-button" issues of the Chiles administration -- "Choose Life" specialty license plates, a ban on partial-birth abortions and a parental notification clause -- are "heading for the 1999 Legislature," the Miami Herald reports. Calling the Bush administration "a new horizon," Christian Coalition of Florida Director John Dowless said the governor is "very friendly" to pro-life groups. Matt Ozolnieks, vice president of Florida Right to Life, agreed, indicating that such legislation has an "outstanding" shot at passing this year. While the license plate and the parental notification bills are expected to sail through the Legislature and receive Bush's nod, the bill to ban partial-birth abortion could encounter roadblocks. The Herald reports that a similar bill that passed the Legislature in 1997 "remains in limbo while the Florida Supreme Court considers its constitutionality." The new version of the bill has "been rewritten to address the legal concerns raised by the court," and state Rep. Tom Feeney (R) predicted the bill will again enjoy "overwhelmin[g]" support (Driscoll, Miami Herald, 2/23). For More Information Contact: Florida Right to Life 3336 Edgewater Drive Orlando, FL 32804 Phone: (407) 422-7111 Email: frtl@gdi.net, Web: http://www.frtl.org
	Indiana: Abortion Practitioner Faces Malpractice Charges Press advisory Issued Tuesday, February 23, 1999 From Indiana Citizens for Life * Abortionist controversy underscores need for regulation Indiana Citizens for Life today learned that Robert J. Morgan, a staff physician at Community Hospital East in Indianapolis who had civil chargesfiled against him last Thursday by Indiana Attorney General Jeffrey Modisett, is an abortionist at an Indianapolis abortion clinic known as the Clinic for Women. The charges against Morgan underscore the need for Indiana's state legislature to take active steps to safeguard women's health in Indiana by requiring Indiana abortion clinics to meet basic ambulatory outpatient surgical center standards. Morgan stands accused of nine counts of failing to exercise reasonable care and diligence in the treatment of his pregnant patients or their newborns during delivery. Morgan has had 23 medical malpractice complaints filed against him at the Indiana Department of Insurance during his career. The attorney general's office reports that in at least 3 instances, a medical review panel determined Morgan committed malpractice. "It's incredible that women in Indiana are subjected to someone with such a checkered past, " states Indiana Citizens for Life spokesperson Heather Coleson. "Women's lives are being jeopardized every day in Indiana abortion clinics while these same clinics remain completely unregulated. The state legislature must take this as its cue for action." Currently the Indiana state senate is hearing Senate Bill 558 which would require Indiana abortion clinics to meet the same standards as any other ambulatory outpatient surgical center in the state. The bill is bitterly opposed by Indiana's abortion clinics. "How many additional charges need to be filed against Indiana abortionists before we take action?" asks Coleson. "We clearly have a responsibility to act on this now to protect women." * Phone calls are needed to Indiana state legislators in support of Senate Bill 558. To reach your state senator, call 800-382-9467 or 317-232-9400. Your state representative can be reached by calling 800-382-9842 or 317-232-9600. For more information, contact ICL at 317-705-0671.

This page is reformatted and published by Christ's Faithful People from the News Letters of Steven Ertelt of Pro-Life InfoNet.