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Thursday, April 16, 2009

Ind. Law - Still more on: Abortion requirements re hospital admission privileges heard at county level now proposed as state legislation

SB 89, which the ILB last wrote about on April 8th, yesterday passed 3rd reading in the second house.

From Niki Kelly's report in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

There were harsh words and even a few tears during debate on a measure originally aimed at abortion doctors that passed the Indiana House 73-20 late Wednesday night.

Senate Bill 89 would require all health care providers performing surgical procedures in Indiana to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

And women seeking abortions would be told that a fetus might feel pain during the procedure.

“What this bill is about is patient safety,” said Rep. Matt Bell, R-Avilla.

“This is an incredibly strong public policy statement by this General Assembly; … it’s the right statement to make when we care about the quality of care of patients.”

But others contested the medical evidence regarding fetal pain and even questioned the motives of the sponsor of the legislation.

“Under the surface, this bill is a pathway to denying women control over their own bodies,” said Rep. Gail Riecken, D-Evansville. * * *

And Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, said she was speaking for several of her female colleagues who were too upset to talk or couldn’t speak publicly because it would hurt them politically.

“I stand up for the women in this House because our numbers are growing and it’s not always going to be this way,” she said, talking pointedly to the male lawmakers. “In this lifetime, you are going to have to listen to what happens to us and what we say and what we feel.”

The effective date for the bill is July 1, which could make it difficult for some doctors to continue practicing because the process for seeking privileges at some hospitals takes three to four months.

There are nine abortion clinics in the state, in five counties. Of the seven doctors currently performing abortions in Indiana, only one, in Indianapolis, has hospital privileges, according to testimony.

From Eric Bradner's story in the Evansville Courier & Press:
Supporters of legislation that requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals said it is a positive step for Hoosiers' health.

But opponents of Senate Bill 89, which was approved by the Indiana House on Wednesday night, criticize it as curtailing women's abortion rights.

The legislation mirrors a local ordinance passed last year by the Vanderburgh County Commissioners.

Amendments made to the Senate Bill on Tuesday expanded the admitting privileges requirement to include all surgical procedures, and it also would require women to be informed that the fetus might feel pain.

The bill was approved by a 73-20 margin.

Rep. Gail Riecken, D-Evansville, drew applause from female Democratic representatives for impassioned remarks she delivered on the House floor opposing the bill.

Riecken called the bill "a pathway to denying women control over their own bodies," and said she finds the fetal pain provision particularly distasteful because it is not backed up by medical evidence.

Bill Ruthhart writes in the Indianapolis Star:
Indiana women could have less access to abortions under legislation passed by the Indiana House on Wednesday night that would require doctors who perform the procedure to have admitting privileges at a hospital. * * *

Critics argued it effectively could halt abortions in the state, because few physicians performing abortions in the state have admitting privileges at a hospital. It typically takes a doctor several months to get admitting privileges, they argued, if a hospital chooses to grant them at all.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 16, 2009 12:49 PM
Posted to Indiana Law