Nebraska Restricts Abortion Access

This week, Nebraska governor Dave Heineman (R) signed a law banning most abortions in the state after 20 weeks gestation based on unsubstantiated claims that a fetus has the capacity to feel pain. The law is scheduled to go into effect on October 15.

“There is certainly no solid scientific evidence establishing that a fetus can perceive pain at these earlier stages, so any court decisions to uphold such broader laws could only do so by disregarding the importance of good scientific evidence," said NAF Board Member and attorney Caitlin Borgmann. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has also stated that there is no legitimate evidence supporting the perception of pain in the fetus.

Heineman also approved a separate law that requires women seeking abortions to be screened for mental health issues.

>Learn more about state laws.

Wednesday's Words from Women

Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we will be featuring real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.

Just two years ago this April, I found out I was pregnant. I knew that abortion was the choice for me. I suffer from a seizure disorder and take daily medication that can cause severe birth defects. I am so grateful I have the right to choose. I know I want children of my own one day, however I need to change my medicine and be off the current one for six months before I can try to have children. I am grateful for the doctors and clinics who offer these services to patients. My clinic was amazing. Thank you for everything, and your work to keep women safe!

--Submitted by Skylar* through our website

My family is going through a hard time financially. Without the Hotline’s help, I don’t know what my options would have been. Going through this made me thankful that I have a family and people that care about me. This experience has changed my life; it has made me more independent and responsible, and taught me how to make not only good decisions but the best ones for me. Thank you.

--Submitted by Ramona* through a member clinic

Names have been changed to protect patient privacy

Austin, Texas City Council Votes to Regulate Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Last week, the Austin, TX City Council voted unanimously to require Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) that don't offer or refer clients for abortion care or birth control services to post signs with that information at their facilities.

This ordinance comes two months after the Baltimore, MD City Council passed a similar law requiring CPCs without licensed medical professionals to post signs informing women that they were not receiving information from medical professionals. The majority of CPCs often use deceptive advertising practices to give the appearance that they are legitimate medical clinics that provide a variety of reproductive health care services, including family planning and abortion care.

In reality, most CPCs do not provide full options counseling and generally will not refer for abortion care or birth control. Women who mistakenly visit CPCs describe being harassed, intimidated, and given blatantly false information at their appointments.

If you have experience with a deceptive CPC, we would be interested in hearing your story.

>Learn more about CPCs.

Justice John Paul Stevens Retires from the Supreme Court

Today we issued the following statement:

Throughout his 35 years on the Supreme Court, Justice John Paul Stevens has been an influential member of the Court known for his protection of civil rights and civil liberties. We thank him for his years of dedicated public service, and wish him well in his retirement.

Justice Stevens consistently and vigorously upheld the protections of Roe v. Wade. He voted to uphold a woman's right to choose in several important cases, including Casey and Stenberg (Carhart I). Most recently in Carhart II, Stevens joined Justice Ginsburg's impassioned dissent attacking the majority for placing women's health in danger when the Court upheld a federal law banning certain abortion procedures in 2007. In 2000, Stevens wrote the majority opinion in the Court’s decision to uphold a Colorado buffer zone measure that protected women seeking abortion care from harassment.

The Supreme Court plays a critical role in protecting women’s access to abortion care, and the last two cases involving abortion (Carhart I and II) have been decided by just one vote. This vacancy is an opportunity for President Obama to select a justice who will uphold the right to privacy found in the United States Constitution with the same vigor as Justice Stevens.

State News Round-Up

Anti-choice legislators in the states continue to restrict women’s access to abortion care by passing bills that ban health insurance coverage for abortion, interfere in the doctor-patient relationship, and place an undue burden on both women and their health care providers.

Last week, the Tennessee House Commerce Committee passed a bill that would eliminate insurance coverage for abortion care from a health insurance exchange slated to go into effect in 2014. Several states are considering a variety of different restrictions on insurance coverage for abortion care under the new structure created by federal health care reform.

The Tennessee legislature also approved a bill that would require abortion clinics to post signs that read, in part, "It is against the law for anyone, regardless of the person's relationship to you, to coerce you into having or to force you to have an abortion." A similar measure was recently passed in Georgia. These bills are unnecessary, as abortion providers already work extensively with their patients to determine that their decision is voluntary and informed.

In Oklahoma, Governor Brad Henry signed into law three separate anti-choice bills. The statutes outlaw gender-specific abortion; regulate the provision of medical abortion; and create the Freedom of Conscience Act, which says employers "cannot discriminate against an employee by refusing to accommodate the religious beliefs of said person as it pertains to abortion, human embryos, fetal transplants or euthanasia."

>Learn more about state restrictions.

Wednesday's Words from Women

Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we will be featuring real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.


I am currently separated from my spouse. He is not dependable right now, and has not been for the last year. I do not doubt my ability to love and support a child, but I do doubt my ability to financially provide. If it’s a struggle to pay for this service, how can I expect to provide basics? I cannot imagine the lifetime struggle I would have faced if this option were not here. I now can continue my life for the child I already have. I know I can support her, and I can look forward to a healthy, loving supportive relationship that may bless me again with a child.

--Submitted by Rae* through a member clinic


When I found out I was pregnant, I was very scared and I did not know what I was going to do. I knew that I wasn’t capable of taking care of a child at this time. Knowing that there are still caring people in the world who want to help you get through such a tough thing really means the world to me. Thank you for your kindness and understanding.

--Submitted by Kristina* through a member clinic

Man Arrested for Threatening NAF Member

A Dallas man is facing federal charges for threatening NAF member Southwestern Women’s Surgery Center in Dallas, TX. Erlyndon Joseph Lo, 27, went to the Plano federal courthouse last Friday and filed a court document saying that at noon that day, he was planning to go to the clinic and "use deadly force…," according to court documents. Lo was arrested by the FBI on Saturday and remains in custody.

"We won’t tolerate threats to clinics,” said Mark White, spokesman for the Dallas FBI. "We acted swiftly to ensure that no one was injured and that no act of violence actually did take place.”

Lo has been charged with one felony count of communicating a threat via an instrument of interstate commerce and one misdemeanor violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison.

>Learn more about clinic violence.

Convicted Murderer Scott Roeder Sentenced

Today I released the following statement:

Today a judge in Wichita, KS sentenced anti-abortion extremist and convicted murderer Scott Roeder to the maximum sentence allowed by Kansas law for the murder of NAF member Dr. George Tiller.

While this won’t bring Dr. Tiller back, it is important that Roeder spend the rest of his life in prison so that he cannot harm another abortion provider. Anyone thinking of committing a similar crime also needs to understand that there is no justification for murdering an abortion provider, and that if they commit such a crime they will spend the rest of their lives in prison.

In January, a Sedgwick County jury took just 37 minutes to convict Roeder of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Under Kansas law he faced a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years; however, based on aggravating circumstances, prosecutors requested and received a “Hard 50” sentence, which requires Roeder to serve at least 50 years before he can be considered for parole. Roeder is 52 years old.

We hope this sentence will serve as a deterrent for those who may be considering following in Roeder’s footsteps. In a civilized society, we cannot allow anti-abortion extremists to take the law into their own hands in order to advance their own personal, political agendas.

NAF Member: An Open Letter to Bart Stupak

NAF member Carole Joffe, author of Doctors of Conscience and the recently released Dispatches from the Abortion Wars, has just published an open letter to Congressman Bart Stupak about the violence and harassment abortion providers face every day. Published on the website of Beacon Press, the letter reads in part:

“I wonder, however, if your own experience has made you more empathetic with abortion providers, who have for years endured similar behavior from the same antiabortion extremists who have now targeted you? Though obviously you and the provider community do not agree on the abortion issue, perhaps now you can agree with them that the disagreements over this issue must remain civil. How can we call ourselves a democracy if we cannot express political beliefs without fear of violence? Congressman Stupak, I respectfully call on you to disavow violence against all Americans, not just elected officials.”

Carole’s letter is particularly timely, as today Scott Roeder will be sentenced for the murder of Dr. George Tiller.

>Read the entire letter here.