Texas Attorney General: Centers Need Licenses for Abortion Drugs, No Telemed
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 27, 2010
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) — The Texas state Attorney general has issued an opinion that significantly protects the health concerns of women and limits the practice of abortion. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued two opinions coming at the request of state legislators that pro-life groups are welcoming.
In response to requests for opinions from State Representative Frank Corte, a San Antonio Republican lawmaker, Abbott ruled that abortion facilities giving women the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug must obtain an abortion facility license.
This means abortion centers that give women the mifepristone drug can’t avoid licensure by the state heath department simply because they do not do surgical abortions.
He also ruled that abortion facilities may not use a prerecorded telephone message to furnish information the law requires an abortion doctor to provide "orally by telephone or in person" to a woman 24 hours before the abortion, including the medical risks of the abortion.
The second part of the opinion is important for pro-life advocates because of the use of so-called "telemed abortions."
The is a process the Planned Parenthood abortion business has begun in Iowa that involves disallowing a woman getting the abortion drug from seeing the physician in person. Instead, she only has access to the doctor via teleconference and he pushes a button opening a drawer containing the abortion drugs afterwards.
Joe Pojman, the director of Texas Alliance for Life, told LifeNews.com why the decisions were important for him.
"We are pleased with these two opinions because they are major victories in the struggle to require Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to protect the health and safety of women," he said.
"Attorney General Abbott has confirmed what common sense already tells us. Performing abortions — by chemical or surgical methods — is a serious medical procedure that should require a license," Pojman continued. "Women have the right to adequate information from the physician, including the opportunity to discuss the ‘gestational age of the unborn child’ and ‘medical risks’ of the abortion at least 24 hours before she consents."
In 2009, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) shut down illegal abortion activities at four Planned Parenthood facilities in San Antonio.
They were illegally performing abortions without a license, presumably chemical abortions. DSHS issued notice of violations letters to each of these facilities on June 15, 2009, and fined them a total of $119,000.
Related web sites:
Texas Alliance for Life – https://www.texasallianceforlife.org
Attorney General Abbott’s opinions –
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinions/opinions/50abbott/op/2010/pdf/ga0802.pdf
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinions/opinions/50abbott/op/2010/pdf/ga0803.pdf
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