Waiting Periods For Abortions Do Little To Deter Women, Study Finds
Researchers found that, though the law created financial and emotional hardships for women, those seeking the abortions had made up their mind and were not swayed during the waiting period. In other news, Alaska passes a bill that focuses on the viability of a fetus, but Planned Parenthood says the terminology in the legislation is confusing.
KQED:
Study: Mandatory Waiting Period Stopped Few Abortions
Most women seeking an abortion were not deterred by a Utah law requiring a 72-hour waiting period before having the procedure, according to a recent study by the University of California, San Francisco. (Fine, 3/30)
The Associated Press:
Planned Parenthood Raises Concerns With Alaska Abortion Bill
Planned Parenthood is calling a bill that would restrict late-term abortions in Alaska legally and medically questionable. The bill, from Republican Senate Majority Leader John Coghill, would ban abortions in cases where doctors deem the fetus to be viable outside the womb. It includes exceptions if the pregnancy resulted from sexual assault or incest or is medically necessary. But in those cases, it calls on the doctor to take steps that give the fetus the best chance to survive after being removed if those actions do not present "a serious risk to the life or physical health" of the woman. (Bohrer, 3/30)