Arizona Governor Jan Brewer will sign into law on Saturday a pro-life bill that would protect women by requiring abortion centers to meet certain health and safety regulations and that will also promote ultrasounds.
Brewer’s office confirmed this afternoon that she and legislators who sponsored the bill will participate in a signing ceremony tomorrow — just days after she signed into law the first state ban on race-based or sex-selection abortions in the United States.
The Arizona Senate passed HB 2416 18-10-2 on Wednesday to require that any woman considering an abortion be given an ultrasound exam and provided the opportunity to see and have an explanation of the results.
The Center for Arizona Policy, a pro-life group, informed LifeNews.com that the bill also enacts health and safety requirements for the dispensation of so-called medication abortions, prohibits abortion via telemedicine, and strengthens Arizona law on parental consent requirements for a minor’s abortion. But Planned Parenthood of Arizona’s president told AP that the changes could force it to cut back on abortions in Flagstaff, Prescott and Yuma because nurse practitioners rather than licensed physicians give out the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug that has killed 13 women and injured 1,100 more in the U.S. as of 2006 FDA figures.
The bill also establishes that the courts must appoint a guardian ad litem to a minor seeking to bypass parental consent to undergo an abortion. This will guarantee that the minor will still have an impartial voice when considering abortion.
“Once again, Arizona stands tall in defense of life and women,” says Cathi Herod, the president of the organization. “Earlier this week Gov. Brewer signed into law the first-in-the nation bill to prohibit abortion based on the sex or race of the child.”
Center for Arizona Policy Legal Counsel Deborah Sheasby told LifeNews more about the legislation: “Arizona has made huge strides over the past two years to protect the preborn. We’re looking forward to carrying that momentum into 2011 with some ground-breaking legislation.”
“HB 2416 bans the practice of abortion via webcam, also known as telemedicine. Considering the well-documented dangers of abortion pills, women should be able to meet in person with a doctor before ingesting a dangerous chemical,” she said. “Abortion-via-webcam is just another example of how Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry are concerned with their bottom line instead of women’s health & safety.”
“HB 2416 also guarantees that a woman will have an ultrasound before an abortion is performed and that she has the opportunity to view the image and hear the heartbeat of the preborn child inside her,” Sheasby added. “Abortion is a decision fraught with consequences so it’s critical to provide women with as much information as possible. Ultrasound gives women a more complete picture of their situation. When used in pregnancy care centers, women considering an abortion who see an ultrasound change their mind about the procedure nearly 80 percent of the time.”
Herod called on pro-life Arizona residents to thank the governor for her actions by calling 602.542.4331 or going to https://www.azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp
