Ireland; Texas

July 18, 2013 Dear ProLife Colleague, Ireland consistently ranks among the top five nations in the world having the lowest maternal mortality rate. That is an incredible record. But their restriction against abortion on demand, and one highly publicized maternal mortality last year made Ireland the target of international pro-abortion ire and political pressure. https://www.aaplog.org/get-involved/letters-to-members/ireland/ https://www.aaplog.org/get-involved/letters-to-members/dublin-declaration/ As a result, and in spite of strong public outcry, the Irish legislature pushed through a bill allowing abortion to save the life of the mother (which was already allowed in existing Irish law), and specifically also to allow abortion if the pregnant woman claimed to be suicidal (and a doctor and 2 psychiatrists agreed). And this could be at any time during the pregnancy. How kind. And that, in spite of the fact that there are no studies we are aware of that demonstrate such a woman would pose a lesser threat of suicide if she aborted her child. In fact, the studies we have seen show the exact opposite: The rate of suicide increases 3 to six fold after an abortion. https://www.aaplog.org/complications-of-induced-abortion/induced-abortion-and-maternal-mortality/induced-abortion-and-maternal-suicide/ Which renders this part of the Irish legislation counter-productive at best. Illogical? Immoral? Insane? You pick your own term. On the more upbeat side, we all owe Governor Rick Perry and the Texas legislature a huge “thank you for your perseverance in the face of a hostile mob.” You know the ugly mob details from news reports—jars of urine and feces, used tampons, and the like. And the calling of an emergency session of the legislature to finish the people’s business. And all this to save babies who would otherwise be subject to excruciating pain and they were being torn apart. And to insist on clinic standards that met safety regulations required by any clinic doing outpatient surgery, like a simple D&C, for instance. Oh yes, and to require that doctors doing the procedures have admitting privileges in a hospital within 30 miles in case they had an emergency requiring hospitalization (abortionist never have such emergencies, you know—or maybe they just don’t know it because the patient is instructed to go to the nearest Emergency Dept to let them handle the untoward complications). Oh yes, also it requires the medical abortions follow the FDA safety and prescribing guidelines. That certainly seems odious! Follow safety and prescribing guidelines?? How burdensome can Texas be!! So thank you, Texas, for facing the mob. Texas becomes the tenth state to enact effective protection for pain-capable unborn children. On June 18, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a nationwide Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 1797). Both the Texas bill and the federal bill are based on model legislation drafted by National Right to Life.