Life News reports that the Arizona Court of Appeals has today upheld the Abortion Consent Act. Following a Planned Parenthood lawsuit, an injunction had put the law’s enforcement on hold. However the 3-0 opinion removes the injunction in its entirety.
The law is a pro-life measure Governor Jan Brewer signed which tells women of the risks associated with and alternatives to abortion. Planned Parenthood sued the state soon after its signing and a Superior Court judge blocked the law from taking effect while the case moves forward.
The recent Gallup poll which found that self-identifying prochoice and prolife Americans agree on 9 of 17 policies tested lines up almost completely with the Court’s decision to reject Planned Parenthood’s attempts to stop the law.
The law – which was drafted by the Center for Arizona Policy, Alliance Defense Fund, Bioethics Defense Fund, and the Life Legal Defense Fund, has several other pro-life provisions the pro-life organizations support. The following is a list of those provisions, with Gallup’s findings underneath.
- A notarized parental signature before an abortion can be performed on a minor child. 60% of prochoicers and 81% of prolifers agreed that parental consent for minors should be required.
- Women must be provided with full and accurate information by a doctor in person. 86% of prochoicers and 87% of prolifers agreed that informed consent for abortion patients should be required.
- The above information must be provided at least 24 hours before an abortion. 60% of prochoicers and 79% of prolifers agreed that a 24hr waiting period should be required for women seeking an abortion.
The two other provisions are that:
- Medical professionals cannot be forced to perform abortions if it contradicts their sincerely held religious or moral beliefs. Only 30% of prochoicers and 61% of prolifers agreed that conscientiously objecting pharmacists/doctors should be allowed to opt out. This was the only provision allowed for in the Act that was not backed up by Gallup’s findings on public opinion.
- Non-doctors will not be permitted to perform surgical abortions. This topic was not covered in the Gallup poll. However the common objection from advocates of legal abortion that “we don’t want non-certified people performing abortions” would appear to imply that the majority of prochoicers would agree with this provision also.
It continues to be blindingly clear that Planned Parenthood’s vision conflicts with the vision of the majority of U.S. citizens. Proliferation of fetal imagery – particularly through social media and development in medical science are major contributors to the reality that the U.S. is becoming pro-life – meaning that Planned Parenthood is out-dated, old-fashioned, and out of touch.
