Arizona Judge: Planned Parenthood Can’t Have Non-Doctors Do Abortions

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Oct 28, 2010   |   5:06PM   |   Phoenix, AZ

To hear abortion backers like Planned Parenthood tell the story, abortion is supposed to be between and woman and her doctor.

But a county judge denied a request from the abortion business to subject women to abortions done by someone other than a licensed physician.
 
A Superior Court judge denied Planned Parenthood’s motion to block a law from taking effect. The law, containing regulations on abortion businesses, was passed by the state legislature 10 years ago after Lou Anne Herron’s tragic death in an Arizona abortion center.
 
The rules ensure, among other things, that non-doctors may not perform surgical abortions, but Planned Parenthood has held up the health and safety standards ever since.
 
Judge Donald Daughton denied Planned Parenthood’s emergency motion to amend their complaint late Wednesday, opening the door for the pro-life law to take effect.
 
“Women’s health and safety is best protected by having a licensed physician involved from the moment they are admitted to a clinic to when they are discharged,” said Center for Arizona Policy President Cathi Herrod. “Arizona has witnessed the dangers women face when they are operated on and treated by under-qualified medical personnel.”
 
She told LifeNews.com, “The abortion clinic regulations that the Arizona Legislature passed ten years ago are based off of Planned Parenthood’s own policies. If they claim to care about women’s health and safety, why fight safety measures that provide women with the typical standard of care?”
 
The law requires that a licensed doctor do the abortion and, beforehand, he must estimate the gestational age of the pre-born baby and perform a physical examination on the woman to determine if she is healthy enough for the surgery. [related]

The abortion practitioner must also have admitting privileges at an accredited hospital in case of a medical emergency, and must also remain on the premises of the abortion facility until all patients are stable and ready to be discharged.

 
The new rules take effect on Monday.