Doctors in states that ban abortion can still refer patients elsewhere. Why are so few doing that?

By Michelle Oberman, Katie Watson and Lisa Lehmann
July 28, 2023

For now, abortion remains accessible even in states where it’s banned — at least for those who know where to look. It’s still legal in two-thirds of the country, and numerous websites explain how to order medications from international pharmacies to end early pregnancies at home.

But not all patients have equal access to reliable information. Even before Roe v. Wade’s reversal, the most vulnerable U.S. patients — particularly low-income women, women of color and first-generation immigrants — disproportionately lacked accurate knowledge about abortion access. Today almost half of Americans are uncertain about the legality of medication abortion.

Continued: https://www.statnews.com/2023/07/28/doctors-providing-abortion-referral-information-states/

28.07.2023

Commentary

abortion referral

American Medical Association

professional negligence

France Expands Abortion Access in Two Key Moves

Positive Steps Advance Reproductive Rights

March 1, 2022
Hillary Margolis, Senior Researcher, Women's Rights Division, Human Rights Watch

Over the past 10 days, France made two notable advances for reproductive rights. On February 23, parliament voted to extend the legal timeframe for abortion under any circumstances from the twelfth to the fourteenth week of pregnancy. On February 19, the government eased access to medication abortion as an alternative to more invasive surgical procedures.

France’s 12-week time limit for abortion on request had forced thousands of women annually to travel outside of France to procure legal abortions. Its new 14-week limit mirrors that of Spain, while other European Union countries go further: abortion for any reason is legal in Sweden up to 18 weeks and in the Netherlands up to 24 weeks.

Continued: https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/01/france-expands-abortion-access-two-key-moves

USA – Planned Parenthood ousts leader after less than a year

Planned Parenthood ousts leader after less than a year

By Lenny Bernstein, Ariana Eunjung Cha and Amy Goldstein
July 16, 2019

The president of Planned Parenthood was forced out of her job Tuesday in a dispute over her management style and the direction of the nation’s largest women’s reproductive rights organization amid growing political and legal challenges to abortion.

Planned Parenthood’s board met in emergency session for hours Tuesday and approved Leana Wen’s immediate departure just eight months after she took over the post. The terms had been negotiated over several weeks, said a Planned Parenthood spokeswoman.

Continued: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/head-of-planned-parenthood-forced-out-after-eight-months/2019/07/16/c726b078-a7d3-11e9-a3a6-ab670962db05_story.html?utm_term=.59016a456b88&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1

Trump’s new rules on Title X and abortion referrals are absurd. How did judges miss that

Trump’s new rules on Title X and abortion referrals are absurd. How did judges miss that?

By The Times Editorial Board
Jun 29, 2019

When the Trump administration announced a new policy denying federal funding to any family planning care providers that dared even to refer a pregnant patient to an abortion provider, three federal district courts correctly concluded that the rule could endanger healthcare for millions of people and issued temporary injunctions preventing it from going into effect around the country. So it was a depressing step backward when, last week, a panel of 9th Circuit judges reversed those courts and lifted the injunctions.

Continued: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-title-x-abortion-appeals-court-injunction-20190629-story.html

29.06.2019

defunding Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood

separation of facilities for Title X

Title X family planning program

A New Ruling Could Leave Thousands Of Low-Income Americans Without Family Planning Services

A New Ruling Could Leave Thousands Of Low-Income Americans Without Family Planning Services
"It's really dire and is going to cause harm to a lot of people," an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights said.

Brianna Sacks, BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on June 20, 2019

The Trump administration can deny critical federal funding to Planned Parenthood and other family planning organizations that also provide abortions or referrals for them, a federal court ruled Thursday.

Abortion rights advocates fear that could mean thousands of low-income Americans will lose access to reproductive health care, and already, Planned Parenthood has said it plans to fight the ruling. Abortion rights groups can also still challenge the ruling in other circuit courts.

Continued: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/title-x-gag-rule-abortion

Ontario’s top court rules religious doctors must offer patients an ‘effective referral’ for assisted dying, abortion

Ontario’s top court rules religious doctors must offer patients an ‘effective referral’ for assisted dying, abortion

Kelly Grant Health reporter
Published May 15, 2019

Physicians who object on moral grounds to providing health-care services such as assisted dying, abortion and birth control must offer their patients an “effective referral” to another doctor, Ontario’s highest court has ruled.

In a unanimous decision released Wednesday, the Court of Appeal for Ontario reaffirmed a lower court’s conclusion that it was a reasonable limit on the religious freedom of doctors to require them to connect their patients with willing providers of medical assistance-in-dying (MAID) and other contentious health services.

Continued: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-religious-doctors-must-make-referrals-for-assisted-dying-abortion/

Trump abortion ‘gag’ rule blocked by federal judge

Trump abortion ‘gag’ rule blocked by federal judge

By Fred Barbash
April 25

A federal judge issued a nationwide injunction Thursday, temporarily blocking the Trump administration from imposing new antiabortion restrictions on the use of federal family planning funds designed to assist 4 million low-income women.

The rule, promulgated in March by the Department of Health and Human Services, would have barred programs receiving the money from saying or doing anything to advise or assist a patient about securing an abortion. Critics called it a “gag rule.”

Continued: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trump-abortion-gag-rule-blocked-by-federal-judge/2019/04/25/c147359a-67ac-11e9-a1b6-b29b90efa879_story.html?utm_term=.bf7cd8dc6de0

Ghana – The battle of values: Health practitioners make medical decisions based on personal values

The battle of values: Health practitioners make medical decisions based on personal values

By Mathias Aboba
Dec 23, 2018

Women seeking legal abortion care including life-threatening complications due to abortion (post-abortion complication) or after suffering miscarriage may be denied care by some health service providers in Ghana due to their religious or moral beliefs, a research finding has revealed.

According to the study, which looked at Conscience-based Objection to abortion care or Conscientious Objection to abortion (CO) conducted in two regions in Ghana Volta and Eastern Regions by reproductive rights advocacy network, Global Doctors for Choice Ghana, a relatively high number of doctors, midwives, nurses and physician assistants who have received training in comprehensive abortion care will rather exercise their right to refuse to provide legal abortion services to women in need due to their religious or morale beliefs.

Continued: https://www.newsghana.com.gh/the-battle-of-values-health-practitioners-make-medical-decisions-based-on-personal-values/

New Zealand – Doctors to fight new abortion law

Doctors to fight new abortion law
Group opposes any moves that erode rights in dealing with patients seeking terminations, writes Claire Trevett.

3 Dec, 2018
By: Claire Trevett, Deputy political editor, NZ Herald

A group of doctors opposed to abortion say they will fight any moves in looming reforms to erode their rights to refuse to deal with patients wanting abortions. The issue of referring patients seeking abortions to another doctor has drawn opposition from the group.

Justice Minister Andrew Little says he agrees with a Law Commission proposal for doctors who are "conscientious objectors" to abortion to be made to directly refer a patient on to another doctor who they know will provide the service.

Continued: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12167498

Ireland – Nurses campaign to opt out of abortion provision

Nurses campaign to opt out of abortion provision

Wednesday, November 28, 2018
By Evelyn Ring

A group of nurses and midwives has joined GPs in declaring they do not want to participate in providing abortion services. The group, Nurses & Midwives4Life Ireland, says if a woman opts for a surgical termination, they will be asked to provide the pre-operative care, to which they object.

Last month, hundreds of anti-abortion GPs voiced their concerns about the new laws and asked Health Minister Simon Harris not to rush legislation through.

Continued: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/nurses-campaign-to-opt-out-of-abortion-provision-888378.html