Month: March 2014

By Paul Ingram TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday rejected a request by Planned Parenthood and a private women’s health clinic to block new Arizona regulations that would limit the use of abortion-inducing drugs. The regulations, which go into effect on Tuesday, would require any medicine used to induce an abortion to be administered strictly according to protocols issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and instructions on the label. The FDA has approved RU-486, the so-called “abortion pill,” for use within seven weeks’ gestation. Doctors who have prescribed it later than that have made an off-label use which is not allowed under Arizona’s law.

By Verna Gates BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday ordered a trial to determine whether a new Alabama law requiring doctors who perform abortions to obtain hospital admitting privileges poses a significant impediment for women seeking an abortion. Since abortion clinics typically use traveling physicians, the law could cause the closure of three of Alabama’s five facilities, a potential constitutional violation, abortion supporters have argued in court. In an 86-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson cited the possibility of an “undue burden.” He ruled the trial will focus on if the law violates the constitutional rights of women who want an abortion by imposing a “substantial obstacle.” “If the court finds that the statute was motivated by a purpose of protecting fetal life, then the statute had the unconstitutional purpose of creating a substantial obstacle,” Thompson wrote. “Evidence establishing that the legislature passed a statute with the purpose of closing down the clinic would suffice to establish a constitutional violation,” he added.

By Kathy Finn NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – The Louisiana House of Representatives on Monday approved a bill to impose new restrictions on abortion clinics, adopting a measure similar to one in other states that have forced clinics to shut down. Without discussion, the House voted 85-6 to approve the bill, which requires physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at an adequately equipped hospital within 30 miles of the place where the abortion is performed. The bill was backed by Republican Governor Bobby Jindal and sponsored by Democratic Representative Katrina Jackson, who chairs the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. “This is about the safety of women,” Jackson said, noting a federal appeals court has upheld a Texas law that contains the same language as the Louisiana bill.

(Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday rejected a request by Planned Parenthood and a private women’s health clinic to block new Arizona regulations that would limit the use of abortion-inducing drugs. The regulations, which go into effect on Tuesday, would require any medicine used to induce an abortion to be administered strictly according to protocols issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and instructions on the label. Planned Parenthood and the Tucson Women’s center sued to overturn the rules and sought a temporary restraining order to stop them from going into effect while the lawsuit was being litigated. They argued that the regulations could force women to travel to other states to get an abortion or prevent them from getting the procedure altogether.

The U.S. Senate gave final congressional approval on Monday to legislation to avert a pay cut for doctors who participate in the Medicare insurance program for the elderly and disabled. By a vote of 64-35, the Democratic-led Senate sent the measure, approved last week by the Republican-led House of Representatives, to President Barack Obama to sign into law. The bill would give doctors a one-year reprieve from a 24 percent cut set to kick in this week under the Medicare payment formula, known as the Sustainable Growth Rate, or SGR. The payments affect doctors treating patients under Medicare, which pays for healthcare for nearly 51 million people in the United States who are 65 and older or disabled.