| | The ''L.A. Times'' reported Monday that "Planned Parenthood's clinic here in central Missouri performs about 600 first-trimester [[abortion]]s a year, drawing patients from areas several hours away. Surgical [[abortion]]s take place in two '''small''' exam rooms as the patient, often sedated with a Valium, lies on a padded table, her feet in stirrups. The recovery room, painted blue, is '''crowded''', the vinyl recliners positioned so close to one another, '''patients could hold hands'''."<ref>Stephanie Simon, "Facilities that regularly provide first-trimester terminations — including the pill version — may be regulated as outpatient surgical centers. Two of the state's three clinics would have to close," Los Angeles Times (Sept. 10, 2007), http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-abortion10sep10,1,4090012.story?coll=la-headlines-nation</ref> | | The ''L.A. Times'' reported Monday that "Planned Parenthood's clinic here in central Missouri performs about 600 first-trimester [[abortion]]s a year, drawing patients from areas several hours away. Surgical [[abortion]]s take place in two '''small''' exam rooms as the patient, often sedated with a Valium, lies on a padded table, her feet in stirrups. The recovery room, painted blue, is '''crowded''', the vinyl recliners positioned so close to one another, '''patients could hold hands'''."<ref>Stephanie Simon, "Facilities that regularly provide first-trimester terminations — including the pill version — may be regulated as outpatient surgical centers. Two of the state's three clinics would have to close," Los Angeles Times (Sept. 10, 2007), http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-abortion10sep10,1,4090012.story?coll=la-headlines-nation</ref> |
| − | It is inhumane to subject mothers to overcrowded post-[[abortion]] facilities like that. [[Planned Parenthood]] enjoys an annual profit of over $50 million as the [[United States]]' largest [[abortion]] provider,<ref>http://www.lifeissues.org/pp/index.html</ref> but a clinic pleads poverty in complying with a new Missouri law<ref>[[Missouri]] merely extended a law that already exists for ambulatory surgical centers. Missouri's Ambulatory Surgical Center Licensing Law ("the Act") was amended effective August 28, 2007 (Codified at section 197.200 of the Revised Missouri Statutes). Prior to the amendment the Act defined an ambulatory surgical center as any "establishment operated primarily for the purpose of performing surgical procedures or primarily for the purpose of performing childbirths and which does not provide ... accommodations for patients to stay more than twenty-three hours ...." The amendment expands the definition to include any establishment that performs five or more first trimester abortions per month or any second or third trimester abortions.</ref> requiring the same conditions for abortion patients as other surgical patients. | + | It is inhumane to subject mothers to overcrowded post-[[abortion]] facilities like that. [[Planned Parenthood]] enjoys an annual profit of over $50 million as the [[United States]]' largest [[abortion]] provider,<ref>http://www.lifeissues.org/pp/index.html</ref> but a clinic pleads poverty in complying with a new Missouri law<ref>[[Missouri]] merely extended a law that already exists for ambulatory surgical centers. [[Missouri]]'s Ambulatory Surgical Center Licensing Law ("the Act") was amended effective August 28, 2007 (codified at section 197.200 of the Revised Missouri Statutes). Prior to the amendment the Act defined an ambulatory surgical center as any "establishment operated primarily for the purpose of performing surgical procedures or primarily for the purpose of performing childbirths and which does not provide ... accommodations for patients to stay more than twenty-three hours ...." The amendment expands the definition to include any establishment that performs five or more first trimester abortions per month or any second or third trimester abortions.</ref> requiring the same conditions for abortion patients as other surgical patients. |
| | Though the ''L.A. Times'' article admits to the crowding, it misleads the public in several ways. The article conceals how the Missouri law applies to all [[abortion]]s equally, and the [[federal]] judge's injunction against the law has the effect of permitting second and third trimester [[abortions]] to be performed at overcrowded clinics. The judge heard arguments Monday on making his injunction permanent. | | Though the ''L.A. Times'' article admits to the crowding, it misleads the public in several ways. The article conceals how the Missouri law applies to all [[abortion]]s equally, and the [[federal]] judge's injunction against the law has the effect of permitting second and third trimester [[abortions]] to be performed at overcrowded clinics. The judge heard arguments Monday on making his injunction permanent. |