“To keep women and girls safe, abortion clinics nationwide should be held to the same high standards
that we expect from any outpatient medical facility,” said AUL’s Dr. Charmaine Yoest.
“Alabama is leading the way with the passage of the Women’s Health and Safety Act.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (04-03-13) — Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest praised the Alabama legislature for passing the “Women’s Health and Safety Act.” If signed into law, this Act will strengthen Alabama’s standards for patient care provided at abortion clinics. The Act is part of the Alabama House Republican 2013 legislative session’s “We Dare Defend Our Rights” agenda.
“Big Abortion shows its true colors in arguing against medically appropriate protections for women and girls, as they fight to remain unregulated and unsupervised,” said Dr. Yoest. “AUL applauds the wisdom of the Alabama legislators who stood up for women by requiring that abortion clinics meet high standards for patient care.”
Since Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized that a state has “a legitimate interest in seeing to it that abortion, like any other medical procedure, is performed under circumstances that ensure maximum safety for the patient.” This Act is a perfect example of states ensuring that women receive quality medical care during all stages of abortion procedures including the use of abortion-inducing drugs.
“The on-going criminal trial of Kermit Gosnell, who operated a ‘house of horrors’ abortion clinic that went more than two decades without inspection, is case in point why this legislation is necessary,” said Dr. Yoest. “The health and very lives of women and girls are at stake, requiring that abortion clinics be held to the same standards as other outpatient surgical facilities.”
The Act also requires that the physician examine the woman in person and document the gestational age and location of the pregnancy. This provision protects the health of the woman and ensures that the physician is not providing abortion drugs via the internet from an off-sight location.
For more on AUL’s model legislation, click here.
