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State ponders abortion laws

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by Pedro Oliveira Jr.

Friday, September 14, 2007

A state committee discussed a bill Tuesday that would ensure health care providers pay closer attention to abortion patients, in an effort to reduce the number of coerced abortions.

Under the bill, physicians and nurses would be obligated to investigate whether patients are put under pressure to go through the abortion process. Should staff determine the woman is being coerced to abort, they must inform the patient about services for victims or individuals at risk of domestic abuse.

"This bill would make sure the physician and qualified attending people spend that extra inch in terms of conversation with the woman to ensure it's not a coercive abortion and the woman has assistance in terms of information and education," state Rep. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, said.

State Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, said in Wisconsin there have been a number of cases in which women, and often young girls, were in a situation in which they were forced to abort by boyfriends, spouses and even fathers.

"This isn't talking about providing health care," Gundrum said. "This is just requiring to make sure that the consent is freely given, and if it's a victim of abuse, there's some kind of outreach method."

Lazich said women need to make sure they are not being threatened and pushed into a circumstance they would regret later.

"A physician counseling a woman considering an abortion shall, in person, inform the woman that it is against the law for any person to use threats, intimidation, force or coercion to compel her to have an abortion against her will," Lazich said.

Lazich cited a report from the Elliot Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to research and education on the impact of abortion on women, stating 64 percent of abortions involve coercion and 65 percent of women suffer from post-abortion trauma.

According to the report, these women become more likely to commit suicide, suffer long-term clinical depression become hospitalized, abuse drugs and alcohol and develop nervous and sleep disorders.

"This bill will strengthen the law to make sure consent is voluntary and the will of the woman," Gundrum said.

State Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, however, said the bill is redundant and most cases can already be implemented through the use of existing legislation.

"Current state laws require that physicians need to orally inform patients that consent means voluntary," Hintz said. "That includes making sure [patients] know they can't be forced to do it."

Hintz said the Legislature has numerous important issues to address, such as the state budget, and it is frustrating to spend three hours at a public hearing discussing an issue that can already be resolved through state law.

"Seems like another opportunity for those who oppose abortion rights to get out and speak about it," Hintz said.

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Anonymous (September 14, 2007 @ 7:53am):

Oh gosh, dude, don't you get tired of getting involved in everyone's personal life? How about you try to make a state budget, tiger.

Anonymous (September 14, 2007 @ 10:59am):

Bring back shot gun weddings, this time the state will be holding the gun!

Anonymous (September 14, 2007 @ 12:41pm):

"Current state laws require that physicians need to orally inform patients that consent means voluntary," Hintz said. "That includes making sure [patients] know they can't be forced to do it."

HOW IS THIS NOT GOOD ENOUGH? Stop trying to add layers and time between a very personal decision and action

Anonymous (September 14, 2007 @ 6:48pm):

Hey, it's better than requiring the doctors to state some scientifically unproven bs about fetal pain, or blatent lies about increased likelihood of breast cancer.

But I'm curious. Are there statistics about abortion-coersion from any sources more neutral than the "Elliot Institute" (founders of afterabortion dot org)?

tommy kuzdas (September 15, 2007 @ 11:20pm):

Just what is meant by coercion. Boyfriend threatens to beat the snot out of her, that is coercion. If boyfriend threatens to leave the woman, I would say no coercion. I have no doubt that the republicans would consider the boyfried mearly discussing aborttion to be a form of coercion. Since when must women seeking abortions or any preganancy related care be handled with kit gloves?

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