Court Blocks Florida Law Requiring Abortionists to Give Women Information on Risks
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Court Blocks Florida Law Requiring Abortionists to Give Women Information on Risks
A federal appeals court has overturned a Florida law requiring abortionists to give women information about the risks of abortion, ruling that it imposes “burdens upon the pregnant woman which improperly intrude upon the exercise of her choice between abortion and childbirth.”
Abortion advocates say the law, which would also provide women with information about prenatal development, government benefits for mothers, and alternatives to abortion, “is skewed to try to convince someone to have a child.” However, pro-life advocates argue that such laws have been upheld in other states and that women have the right to all information about their choices. The law was blocked by a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The state has yet to decide if it will appeal the ruling.
Two Planned Parenthood Businesses Face Discrimination Lawsuits
Planned Parenthood businesses in Houston and Los Angeles are facing discrimination lawsuits filed on behalf of former employees by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency that monitors discrimination in the workplace.
In August, several former Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles employees filed a complaint alleging that the abortion business creates “a hostile workplace environment” for male and minority employees, and that one black employee was fired after he filed a complaint accusing his supervisor of referring to him with a racial slur. The second federal lawsuit was filed in October after Aymara Castro, an employee of the Houston Planned Parenthood business, said she was forced to resign after complaining about sexual harassment at work.
Abortionist May Lose Medical License After Alabama Woman’s Death
An Alabama abortionist has had his medical license suspended following the death of a woman from a botched abortion, pending a decision by the state medical board as to whether his license should be revoked.
Malachy DeHenre is also facing suspension and possible loss of his license in Mississippi, where he also performs abortions. In Nov. 2003, a Birmingham woman died just ten hours after
DeHenre performed an abortion on her. Four other women were also injured from abortions performed by DeHenre, including a 22-year-old woman who had to have a hysterectomy. The New Woman Medical Center, one of the clinics where DeHenre worked and one of only two abortion businesses in Mississippi, has closed following the suspension of DeHenre’s license.
Chinese Woman Imprisoned, Tortured for Opposing One-Child Policy
A Chinese woman who lost her job 16 years ago after refusing to have an abortion has been imprisoned and tortured for complaining about China’s one-child policy, humanitarian groups say.
Mao Hengfeng was sentenced in April to 18 months of “re-education” in a prison camp after she repeatedly complained to government officials about her treatment and asked that her rights be restored. Humanitarian groups report that she has been “brutally tortured” while in prison and that her two daughters have also been arrested and interrogated. Despite opposition from pro-abortion groups, the U.S. is withholding funds from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for its association with China’s coercive one-child program.
Originally published in The Post-Abortion Review 12(4) Oct.-Dec. 2004. Copyright 2004 Elliot Institute.
