Saturday, January 4, 2014

Abortion restrictions on the rise - what's next?

Source
An increasing number of abortion clinics are being shut down or are vulnerable to being shut down due to the growing amount of anti-abortion restrictions that states are passing. One issue that will be heard at a federal appeals court is "a Texas requirement that abortion doctors have admitting privileges at local hospitals." Admitting privileges refer to "doctors’ right to admit his or her patients to a specific hospital or other treatment facility," and is a reason why so many clinics are forced to close in Texas. Abortion rights advocates are pushing for support in a Democrat Senate, and likewise, pro-life advocates are hoping to pressure the Senate through the Republican House.

 Both sides agree that  2014 will be an important year for the debate on abortion. Abortion rights advocates believe candidates who are more moderate will have higher chance of getting elected in key red and swing states, lessening the influence of extremists. On the other hand, pro-life advocates believe it is much harder to get an abortion with today with these restrictions in place. An interesting point raised that how difficult it would be get an abortion depends on where someone lived - a "pre-Roe" like condition. Do you agree that our nation is at a turning point in regards to abortion? Have certain requirements (like admitting privileges) regressed states back before Roe v. Wade? 
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think it's a shame that although abortion is legal under federal law, some states (such as Texas) are going to such extreme extents to limit access to abortion. It seems fairly obvious that that is the only reason for the new, highly restrictive legislation, which I feel is underhanded. This reminds me of the whole debate over the summer, with Wendy Davis's filibuster (though ultimately the bill passed anyway, thanks to Rick Perry calling a special session).

I know that there is widespread pro-choice support, notably in younger generations. However, the pro-life side is strong and very vocal as well. Although I predict that future trends will lean more in the pro-choice directions, I'm not sure about the status of the debate in 2014 yet, so I'll be interested to see how it plays out.

January 4, 2014 at 11:12 PM

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