Governor Doug Ducey has signed SB 1318 into law
Portion Crossposted from Common Dreams
'This is
unacceptable and not how safe medical care of any kind is provided,' says
women's health advocate
"This
law will force abortion providers to give patients information about medical
abortion care that is unsubstantiated and not supported by evidence—even
abortion opponents admit there is no medical proof to support this
information," said Vicki
Saporta, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation. "This is
unacceptable and not how safe medical care of any kind is provided."
The LA Times reported that
State Sen. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who voted against the legislation, said the provision
"requires medical professionals to commit medical malpractice."
"This is junk science. It is quack medicine,"
she said Wednesday. “There is absolutely no evidence anywhere in any
peer-reviewed journal that supports this as a valid medical procedure."
Arizona's SB 1318 also bars insurance companies from
providing abortion services to women who purchase medical coverage through the
federal health-care exchange, except in cases of rape, incest, or where the
woman's life is endangered.
In a statement, Republican Gov.
Doug Ducey said the legislation "protects Arizona taxpayers" by
ensuring public funds are "not used to subsidize abortions."
Arizona already has severe
abortion restrictions in place. According to the
Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion policies around the country, a
woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed
to discourage her from having an abortion and then wait 24 hours before the
procedure is provided. Counseling must be provided in person and must take
place before the waiting period begins, thereby necessitating two separate
trips to the facility.
On top of that, a woman must
undergo an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion and the provider must offer
her the option to view the image. The ultrasound must be provided at least 24
hours before the abortion.
In addition, the use of
telemedicine for the performance of medication abortion is prohibited.
Medication abortion must be provided using the FDA protocol, thereby preventing
the use of a more common, simpler evidence-based regimen.
The
bill, backed by the Center for Arizona Policy, is another win for the
organization president Cathi Herrod and her campaign to tighten the state’s
abortion restrictions. She sent out a news release bearing a photograph of
Ducey signing the measure.
