Apparently, California women support abortion on demand, and the state’s Democrats listened to their constituents, allowing non-surgeons to perform abortion.
Prolifers were already up in arms, because Democrats appear to have such little thought for the unborn and women’s health. Now they are additionally disappointed and hurt that Democrats set the standards for human abortion lower than standards for animals.
In 1973, the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade legalized abortion throughout the 50 U.S. states. Since then, abortions in the US have been relatively safe, compared to what happens in other countries. The World Health Organization says of 42 million abortions in 2003, almost half were unsafe, very few of those were in the USA.
Two years ago, Kermit Gosnell, a licensed abortion doctor in Pennsylvania, was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges after a woman died in his clinic. The Grand Jury heard that Dr. Gosnell’s clinic was unsanitary and staffed by unlicensed individuals.
California taxpayers already pay $42 million, for over 90,000 abortions each year. As well as financial cost, there is a very long list of health and mental health repercussions from abortion, as reported by those speaking against the bill.
Blacks and Hispanics are disproportionally represented in the number of abortions in the US each year. Around five times as many black women abort babies than white women, and three times as many Hispanic women abort babies than white women do.
One of those speaking against the bill said “This is involving life and death. The only proponents that will gain from this bill are the abortion industry.”
California ProLife Council spokeswoman, Anissa Smith, said “This bill is not about helping women, it is specifically designed to trivialize what an abortion is, and its risks,” said Smith. “It is political payoff to a government-sponsored industry that preys on minors without parent knowledge or consent. Reducing the medical standards for abortion, both in the personnel and the sanitary conditions required, defies logic for those who say they care about women.”
“The California Business and Professions Code prohibits abortions being done on animals unless the abortionist is a trained and certified veterinary surgeon. As of today, a mother dog will have more dignity in the eyes of California law than a vulnerable young mother talked into an abortion by a Planned Parenthood staffer.” Smith concluded, “Governor Brown’s sponsorship and unquestioning support of the abortion industry is tragic.”
Republican legislators were unable to stop Democrats passing the law, and they were unable to convince Governor Brown to reject it.
Planned Parenthood Supported AB 154
Supporting the legislation, Planned Parenthood says that one in three women want to terminate a pregnancy by age 45, yet almost half of California counties have no accessible abortion provider.
In the other counties, they say long wait times and busy clinics result in delays for some women, causing some to delay care until later stages of pregnancy, a more complicated and expensive option.
The organization says UC San Francisco’s Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health conducted a comprehensive multi-year study to train and evaluate NPs, CNMs and PAs in the provision of first trimester abortion.
AB 154 was supported by the California Women’s Health Alliance, more than 20 organizations involved in women’s reproductive health in California.
Abortion Law Sponsor Organizations
ACLU
ACCESS Women’s Health Justice
Black Women for Wellness
California Latinas for Reproductive Justice
NARAL Pro-Choice California
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
Supporting Organizations
ACT for Women and Girls of Tulare County
Bay Area Communities for Health Education
California Church IMPACT
California Family Health Council
Cardea Institute
Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice
Choice USA
Forward Together
Fresno Barrios Unidos
National Health Law Program
Nevada County Citizens For Choice
Physicians for Reproductive Choice & Health
Women’s Community Clinic
Women’s Health Specialists of California
Republicans Opposed to AB 154
Concerned about the health of women, Modesto Republican Assembly member Kristin Olsen, said “I believe this is an ill-advised proposal that will actually lower the standard of care for women,” Olsen said. “For women like all of us women who serve here in the Legislature. There’s no question performing an abortion can produce a host of complications for women, hemorrhaging, uterine perforation and damage to pelvic organs. No matter where you stand on the issue of abortion, all of us should be concerned about the practical effects of allowing non-doctors to perform the procedure.”
Bakersfield Republican Assembly member Shannon Grove said “This bill would take abortion right back to the back alleys. Why are we allowing this to be performed by anyone other than a surgeon?”
Governor Brown Signs Abortion Law
Democratic Assemblywoman Toni Atkins of San Diego sponsored AB 154, allowing abortions in the first trimester by inserting a tube and terminating the pregnancy with suction.
Despite arguments presented by Assembly-members who opposed the bill, including Grove and Olsen, Governor Jerry Brown signed the abortion bill AB 154 into law today.
Nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants can now perform this type of early abortion in California.
Nurse practitioners can already perform this type of abortion in four other states, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon and Vermont.
