WASHINGTON, D.C., November 20, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – As the nation prepares to break for the Thanksgiving holiday, legislatures across the nation are organizing their legislative calendars. A number of pro-life measures are being proposed, introduced, or having their initial hearing. An outpouring of popular support may assure those bills do not die in committee.
Texas
Telemed abortions may take another hit if State Senator Dan Patrick’s bill passes in 2013. It would require a doctor to personally administer the second dose of the misoprostol pill during chemical abortions. The drug, which is often prescribed under the name Cytotec, is prescribed for ulcers but is often used to induce contractions to induce an abortion. The New England Journal of Medicine has condemned the drug’s use in abortion, but it is one of the key ingredients in RU-486. Misused, it can cause uterine ruptures.
Virginia
Virginia has made tremendous strides protecting the unborn – but the House of Delegates will have the opportunity to advance yet further. Delegate Bob Marshall is ready to file bills allowing employers to opt out of HHS mandate, ending sex-selective abortions, and extending personhood status to the unborn. However, according to Newsmax, House Speaker William J. Howell has signaled his opposition, saying “we’ve pretty much done everything that needs to be done” on abortion. Marshall ran unsuccessfully for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination this fall. His opponent, George Allen, lost to Democrat Tim Kaine.
Pennsylvania
Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania has temporarily halted surgical abortions to bring its building into compliance with health standards passed in the wake of the Kermitt Gosnell “House of Horrors” discovery. However, the Pittsburgh facility will continue to perform chemical abortions. The facility recently scored a win, in tandem with Eric Holder’s Justice Department, when pro-life protester Meredith Parente signed an agreement never to protest within a certain perimeter of the abortion facility.
(Click “like” if you want to end abortion!
Ohio
A bill that would have introduced “comprehensive sex education” in the state had its first, and probably last, hearing in committee last Wednesday. The state’s House Health And Aging Committee allowed a hearing on the Democratic bill but plans no further action to move toward teaching the state’s teens explicit material. The same committee recently passed a bill that would effectively defund Planned Parenthood. The legislature may also consider a sex-selective abortion ban and a “heartbeat” bill that did not make the agenda last year.
Oklahoma
Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit against the state’s decision to cut back its funding will get a hearing on December 20. The state terminated its relationship with the abortion provider, which had previously administered its WIC program, stating Planned Parenthood cost the state more than other WIC providers.