Saturday, 29 January 2000
http://www.azstarnet.com/public/dnews/0129R11.html
WHAT IS IT ABOUT
HB 2308 would require that the following information be provided
to women considering abortions:
* Agencies that offer alternatives.
* Availability of medical assistance benefits for prenatal care,
childbirth and neonatal care.
* The liability of the father to assist in support even if he
offers to pay for an abortion.
* Pictures or drawings representing the fetus at various stages
of development.
* Descriptions of the methods used for abortion and the risks
of each, including ``possible detrimental psychological effects.''
* Medical risks ``commonly associated with carrying a child to
term.''- Capitol Media Services
By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX - Abortion foes unveiled a new tactic yesterday in
their latest bid to restrict the procedure: linking it with breast
cancer.
Joel Brind, a professor and founder of the Breast Cancer Prevention
Institute, told lawmakers that women who abort a pregnancy are
more likely to develop tumors than those who give birth.
He said the last weeks of pregnancy - when breast tissue changes
to begin producing milk - appear to make a difference.
Brind was brought to the House Committee on Government Reform
by Rep. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, to testify in support of her ``informed
consent'' legislation.
The committee's 4-1 vote sends the measure to the full House.
The bill would require a 24-hour waiting period before a woman
could undergo an abortion.
It also specifies that the woman must be given certain information,
ranging from pictures of what her fetus might look like to an
explanation that the father is liable for child support even if
he offered to pay for an abortion.
Information about breast cancer risks also would have to be presented,
Brind said.
Johnson hopes the studies Brind cited finally persuade colleagues
to adopt her plan. Lawmakers have killed prior efforts by her
and others for more than a decade.
``Women have a right to be informed about these risks ofabortion,''
Johnson said.
She acknowledged that she would prefer to outlaw abortion entirely.
But she has to settle for this bill because it is politically
and constitutionally impossible at this point to do more, she
said.
Brind walked lawmakers through a series of studies, most of which
he said show a direct link between abortion and a higher incidence
of breast cancer.
``The breast cancer claim is spurious,'' countered Marjorie Mead,
a Sun City great-grandmother lobbying on behalf of the National
Organization for Women.
``It's another red herring and another attempt to diminish the
women's right to choose in our state.''
Mead noted that no other law - and nothing in this bill - requires
similar waiting periods or detailed disclosure for other procedures.
She wondered if men should be required to wait 24 hours before
a vasectomy or face a similar waiting period before buying Viagra.
``Are women so flighty or incapable of logical decision-making
that they would reach a decision to abort without fully considering
all of the ramifications?'' she asked.
Brind said that from a medical standpoint, patients should be
told the risks of all procedures. In fact, he said, a doctor who
does not fully inform a patient can be disciplined by state medical
boards.
He said, though, that courts ``have put abortion into a special
category,'' immunizing doctors who don't provide the kind of detail
he said is necessary.
Brind acknowledged that other factors can increase a woman's chance
of getting breast cancer, including celibacy.
But he said the government should not tell women that not having
sex can be hazardous to their health, because - unlike in abortion
- no medical procedure is involved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------