Abortion, Texas and the Court

In Tuesday PM edition USA Today:

"WASHINGTON (AP) — A sharply divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to continue enforcing abortion restrictions that opponents say have led more than a third of the state's clinics to stop providing abortions.

The justices voted 5-4 to leave in effect a provision requiring doctors who perform abortions in clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

The court's conservative majority refused the plea of Planned Parenthood and several Texas abortion clinics to overturn a preliminary federal appeals court ruling that allowed the provision to take effect.

The four liberal justices dissented.

The case remains on appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. That court is expected to hear arguments in January, and the law will remain in effect at least until then."

I think this is prudent, given the fact that the basis of the law being challenged is the part section which requires that the performing doctor is affiliated with a hospital within 30 miles of his or her clinic. 

Why doesn't Planned Parenthood find that to be a reasonable and commonsense approach to PROTECT THE WOMAN'S HEALTH. Does it feel that the abortion is the goal? That abortion is so exclusive a right to be used as birth control rather than as an exception to a circumstance which was not the mother's choice, ie, rape, incest or other harm to her?

In 1973, when Roe v Wade was ruled upon, we didn't have so many "choices" available for pregnancy prevention, and that "back-alley doctors" seemed to be the rule. The premise of the Texas law is to makes certain a doctor can bring his patient into a real hospital should complications arise, rather than leave the woman to some spurious solution.

The logic Planned Parenthood is actually supporting is counter to its name. A planned parenthood would be a choice where the mom (and dad)  needs education and guidance to assist in bringing the pregnancy to a successful conclusion, not nip it in the bud via barbaric options. 

As those of you have learned about my positions on this issue via several commentaries this past spring since the Gosnell case, abortion should be a choice of last resort, not first. And 20 weeks (almost FIVE MONTHS), by the way, is plenty of time in which to make it. 

So, let's hope for the baby's sake that this will finally drive a stake into the barbaric tomes of those who support abortion on demand. Or we may be snuffing out the life of one who figures out the real cure for cancer or other human malady.

Just because the doctor needed to be affiliated with a nearby hospital.