Planned Parenthood Opposes Bill Informing Women They Can’t Be Forced to Abort
Planned Parenthood in Louisiana is objecting to a bill that would require abortion businesses to post signs telling women that no one has the right to coerce or force them to abort.
From LifeNews.com:
The House Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday approved an alternative version of HB 586 sponsored by Rep. Frank Hoffmann, a republican from West Monroe. The bill, which makes it so signs may be posted at abortion centers across the state advising women of alternatives to abortion and that they have the right to refuse an abortion, now heads to the full state House. …
The signs inform women that they can’t be forced to abort against their will, the father is liable for support, adoptive parents may pay costs of prenatal care and childbirth, and there are many public and private resources to help during and after
pregnancy. …During the committee hearing, Bruce Greenstein, secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, said the agency would pay for the signs and distribute them because, as the “Daily World” reported him saying, “more educational information is better. Our goal is to protect the health and safety of all residents. This will help protect women in the state by assuring that they understand their rights.”
“No one can force a woman to have an abortion, not even a young woman’s parents,” he said.
But Julie Mickelberry of Planned Parenthood opposed the bill against coerced abortions. Rep. Robert Johnson, a Democrat, told her, “I don’t see any objection to a sign. It’s just telling your rights.”
Research suggests that most abortions are unwanted or coerced. One study found that 64 percent of American women who had abortions reported being pressured by others and more than 79 percent were not counseled about alternatives of abortion — even though more than half said they felt rushed or uncertain about the abortion.
The Center Against Forced Abortions, a project of the Justice Foundation, provides legal resources for women and girls who are being coerced or forced into abortion.
Model legislation proposed by the Elliot Institute would hold abortion businesses liable for failing to screen women for coercion and factors that put them at risk for psychological problems after abortion. Versions of the bill have been passed in South Dakota and Nebraska.
