Morning Roundup: Abortion in Ireland; LGBTQ Youth Guide

Beth Saunders

Ireland may soon have to offer abortions to women whose lives are threatened by pregnancy, abortion services will soon be offered in Witchita once again, Tony Perkins hates a bill put forth by the Democrats, and youth facilities now have more guidance on the sexual health needs of LGBTQ youth.

Ireland may soon have to offer abortions to women whose lives are threatened by pregnancy, abortion services will soon be offered in Witchita once again, Tony Perkins hates a bill put forth by the Democrats, and youth facilities now have more guidance on the sexual health needs of LGBTQ youth.

  • A European court admonished the Irish government and ordered a payment of $20,000 to a woman forced to travel abroad for an abortion when her life was at risk. Although Irish courts ruled in 1992 that a woman whose life was in danger should be permitted to have an abortion in Ireland, the government has a law on the books from 1861 that says the woman and her doctor could be prosecuted for murder if it is later determined that her life was not, in fact, in jeopardy, leaving many doctors afraid to offer the procedure. Although the court “broadly upheld Ireland’s right to outlaw abortion in the overwhelming majority of cases because that law reflects ‘the profound moral values of the Irish people in respect of the right to life of the unborn,’” hopefully this recent ruling will lead to a law that offers a bit of compassion to women in the most dire of circumstances. The BBC also has a brief video of an Irish woman who traveled abroad to terminate her pregnancy.
  • Two doctors will start providing abortions in Witchita, Kansas, sometime next year. Since the murder of Dr. George Tiller, the procedure has been unavailable. A spokesperson for one of the physicians said her clinic would not offer the late-term procedures that Dr. Tiller did.
  • Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council smells abortion in the omnibus bill introduced in the Senate to keep the government. What’s got him so riled up?

    The omnibus contains more than $1 billion in funding for programs initiated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as the ObamaCare law that allows for abortion funding. It allocates $750 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund “slush fund” for a variety of programs that could lead to abortion funding.

    It also includes a $175.9 million “adjustment” in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Program Management account to implement the massive Medicaid expansion and cuts to Medicare Advantage that could lead to rationing of health care.

    Perkins explains, “Among other concerns, taxpayer funds could be used for abortions in D.C., $740 million would go toward international population control, and Title X funds would get a multi-million dollar boost.”

    So, the bill includes money for the health care bill, which specifically says it does not fund abortion? And it will increase Medicaid (health care for the poorest of our citizens), yet it leads to a “rationing” of care? And, Tony, those taxpayer funds come from the RESIDENTS of Washington, DC — which doesn’t have a vote in Congress, by the way — and all other states have the option of electing to cover abortion for certain classes of women if they so choose. I think dude might be losing his touch.

  • The Center for HIV Law and Policy has released a guide on the rights of youth in detention and foster care facilities as it pertains to their sexual health and safety. The first of its kind, the guide offers advice on “sexual medical care, sexuality education, and staff training on sexual orientation and the needs and rights of LGBTQ youth.”

Dec 16

Dec 15