Abortion

End-of-Life Bill Sparks Anger, Accusations

Becca Aaronson, Texas Tribune — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:36:00 +0000

Political powerhouse Texas Right to Life is working overtime to try to defeat a compromise measure aimed at improving state laws governing “end of life” medical decisions.

Agenda Texas: Bill Kill, Vol. 1

Ben Philpott, KUT News — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Obama Tells Planned Parenthood New Abortion Laws Step Backward

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:41:34 +0000

President Obama on Friday became the first sitting president to address Planned Parenthood's annual meeting, delivering a strongly worded speech defending the embattled organization.

"We shouldn't have to remind people that when it comes to women's health, no politician should get to decide what's best for you," said Obama, who was greeted by sustained applause when he took the stage.

Planned Parenthood — the nation's largest provider of reproductive health services, including abortion — and other women's health groups worked hard to re-elect Obama last year and were instrumental in shephe

New Rules for Abortion Doctors Heads to Senate Floor (Update)

Filipa Rodrigues and Kate McGee, KUT News — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:40:44 +0000

Update: A bill requiring abortion providers to have the ability to admit patients at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic now moves to the Senate floor.

Supporters say the bill would ensure patients have access to care if there is a complication or emergency during or after the abortion.

“If an abortionist is not competent to obtain hospital privileges, then he is not competent to doing abortions," said Mary Lynn Gerstenschlager with the conservative Texas Eagle Forum.

Texas Bill Would Ban Abortion at 20 Weeks of Pregnancy

Veronica Zaragovia, KUT News — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:06:44 +0000

Texas requires doctors to show a woman who chooses abortion a sonogram of the fetus and hear the heartbeat. State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker) wants to ban abortions altogether 20 weeks into the pregnancy and beyond.

Carol Everett of the Women’s Wellness Coalition of Texas supports the measure. She said she's witnessed a fetus move away from the operation tools.

Bill on Link Between Abortion, Breast Cancer Stirs Debate

Veronica Zaragovia, KUT News — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:25:42 +0000

State law requires Texas physicians to inform women having an abortion that the operation may increase their risk of breast cancer.

But State Rep. Sarah Davis (R-West University Place), a survivor of the disease, wants to stop the mandate through a bill she’s authored.

At the Capitol: Three Bills Gov. Perry Should Be Watching Today

Austin Feldman — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:05:00 +0000

Three bills related to Gov. Rick Perry are getting a vetting today.

The Texas Senate is set to hear two bills scrutinizing the use of money from the Texas Enterprise Fund. The Texas Enterprise Fund is Perry’s economic development program that gives taxpayer money to private business. Some Austin recipients include Apple and Visa.

The Lead: Senate Bill Could Slash Number of Tx Abortion Facilities; Norwood & Hasan Trial Updates

KUT Staff — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:59:00 +0000

Good morning. After last night, Austin’s looking at decreasing rain chances as the morning goes on, lessening from as much as 50 percent to just a slight chance. Sorry, that means no more hail.

Lead Story: The sponsor of a bill heard in a Texas Senate committee yesterday says the measure is about protecting the health of women who are getting abortions. But opponents say it will just make abortions harder to get, especially in rural areas.

North Dakota Bill Bans Abortions After Heartbeat Is Found

Eyder Peralta — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 01:20:46 +0000

A week after the Arkansas legislature passed the strictest measure in the country on abortion, North Dakota's legislature passed a bill that goes further and would ban abortions as soon as a heartbeat is detected.

Arkansas' bill banned abortions after 12 weeks; North Dakota's could ban them as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

Reuters reports:

Study: 'Sonogram Bill' Doesn't Change Minds About Abortion

Laura Rice, KUT News — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:15:15 +0000

The Texas law that requires women wait twenty-four hours after receiving an ultrasound to get an abortion is not causing them to change their minds but is causing “excessive hardship.”
That’s according to a new survey by researchers at the University of Texas and a Massachusetts research group that favors women’s reproductive rights.

RU-486 Restrictions Bill Gets Senate Hearing

Ben Philpott, KUT News — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:00:00 +0000

A bill in the Texas Senate could restrict the prescription of and distribution of the abortion drug RU-486.
The bill is being offered by Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston). Patrick has made abortion restrictions a priority since his election in 2006. He passed a mandatory sonogram bill in 2011. And has filed a bill this session to restrict how late a woman can have an abortion. His bill on RU-486 was presented to members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Tuesday.
"This is a straight forward bill. This is not before pregnancy. This is terminating a pregnancy," Patrick told the committee. "And all we’re asking is that the abortion clinics follow the federal drug administration guidelines and the manufacturers guidelines.”

Morning-After Pills Don't Cause Abortion, Studies Say

Julie Rovner, NPR — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:48:29 +0000
The most heated part of the fight between the Obama administration and religious groups over new rules that require most health plans to cover contraception actually has nothing to do with birth control.

The Lead: Abortion Protest at Texas Capitol, Single-Sex Schools Before AISD Board Tonight

KUT Staff — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:04:11 +0000

Good morning! With highs in the upper-70s, Austin’s in for a cloudy, breezy and muggy day, according to the National Weather Service.
Lead story: An anti-abortion protest converged on the State Capitol Saturday afternoon. Among the speakers at the “Texas Rally for Life:” Attorney General Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Gov. Rick Perry, who said he was working to “make abortion in any stage a thing of the past.”

'We Have No Choice': A Story of the Texas Sonogram Law

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:38:26 +0000
Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. But in some states, access to facilities that perform abortions remains limited.
In part, that stems from another Supreme Court ruling from 20 years ago that let states impose regulations that don't cause an "undue burden" on a woman's abortion rights.
Texas, for instance, requires that a woman seeking an abortion receive a sonogram from the doctor who will be performing the procedure at least 24 hours before the abortion.

Abortion Restriction Gains Momentum Heading into Session

Ben Philpott, KUT News — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

There are several expected priorities for lawmakers at the newly begun 83^rd legislative session. Education, transportation and water infrastructure are high on many lawmakers list. And in a conservative legislature – social issues , like abortion, often find traction.
There are always a handful of anti-abortion bills filed during a legislative session. Some proposing to outlaw all abortions – in hopes of an eventual Supreme Court ruling leaving abortion laws up to individual states. In Texas legislators have increasingly restricted abortion rights over the last several sessions.