Abortion news
From 2007-October to December
Sponsored link.
Background information on many aspects of abortion is found in individual essays, e.g.
public opinion,
clinic protests,
clinic violence,
parental notification,
abortion methods, and
post abortion syndrome. Information about the use of
stem cells is elsewhere.
News items:
 | 2007-NOV-05: AK: Alaska Supreme Court overturns abortion law: The
Alaska legislature passed a state law in 1997 that would have required a
parent or guardian to give their consent before a woman under the age of 18
could obtain an abortion. There was a judicial bypass provision that she
could use in unusual circumstances. The law was never enacted because of
court challenges.
The Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional because they determined
that it infringed on a pregnant teen's constitutional right to have access
to abortion.
Bruce Hausknecht called the court ruling "inane." He said: |
"This particular court has been routinely imposing its liberal
judicial will on Alaskans for at least a decade in areas like same-sex
'marriage' and abortion, and is a textbook example of an activist court
attempting to mold Alaska in its own frightening image."
That image, of course, involves equal rights for gays, lesbians,
bisexuals, and pregnant teens, which are of major concern for many
heterosexual adults.
The court decision leaves 24 other states with enacted parental consent
laws. 1
| 2007-NOV-19: USA: Mike Huckabee rejects
letting individual states decide abortion criteria:
Republican presidential candidate Mike
Huckabee claimed that the right to life of embryos and fetuses is a moral
issue and not subject to interpretation by individual states. He compared
abortion access to slavery. He said: |
"It's the logic of the Civil
War. If morality is the point here, and if it's right or wrong, not just
a political question, then you can't have 50 different versions of
what's right and what's wrong." 2
| 2007-NOV-22: Canada: Private Member's bill
introduced to protect fetuses: A Conservative Party memo urges its
members of parliament to support a private member's bill that would protect
the life and health of fetuses. It is the Unborn Victims of Crime Act,
Bill C-484. It would would treat as a criminal "Every person who,
directly or indirectly, causes the death of a child during birth or at any
stage of development before birth while committing or attempting to commit
an offence against the mother of the child, who the person knows or ought to
know is pregnant." Penalties would range from a 18 month sentence to life
imprisonment. The bill excludes abortions and other terminations of
pregnancies. It states: "For greater certainty, this section does not apply
in respect of ... conduct relating to the lawful termination of the
pregnancy of the mother of the child to which the mother has consented..."
3
There are at least two uncertainties in the bill. The term "pregnancy" is
not defined, so it is uncertain whether pre-embryos are protected, or only
embryos and fetuses. Also, many young women are heavily pressured by their
parents or the sperm donor to have an abortion. It is not clear whether an
abortion entered into by the woman somewhat unwillingly be excluded from the
bill.
An earlier version of this bill was introduced to Parliament during 2006. It
did not contain the "greater certainty" clause and was opposed by the
Conservative Party. |
| 2007-DEC: SD: New proposal to restrict abortion: Pro-life groups
are attempting to collect signatures on a petition in order to place a
proposal on the 2008-NOV ballot. It would restrict abortions to those cases
needed to save the life or health of the woman, or in which the pregnancy
was caused by rape or incest. More info. |
Reference used:
- "Alaska High Court Throws Out Parental-Consent Abortion Law," CitizenLink,
Focus on the Family Action, 2007-NOV-05, at:
http://www.citizenlink.org/
- "Huckabee Rejects Letting States Decide Whether to Allow Abortions,"
Associated Press, 2007-NOV-19, at:
http://www.foxnews.com/
- "Full Text of the Canadian Unborn Victims of Crime Bill," LifeSite,
2007-NOV-23, at:
http://www.lifesite.net/
Copyright © 2007 by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Created: 2007-NOV-05
Latest update: 2007-NOV-24
Author: B.A. Robinson
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