Safe Abortion Care
April 15, 2013
Today, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, posted my letter to the editor on the medically unnecessary and politically motivated TRAP bill introduced in the Texas legislature.
Regarding the April 7 online story, “With 50 days left, heavy legislative lifting done”: It is disturbing that the Texas Legislature is again choosing to ignore medical evidence in favor of playing politics with women’s health.
Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures provided in the United States due in large part to the skill and expertise of abortion providers who offer high-quality care in an outpatient setting. There is no medical justification for imposing new regulations on abortion providers in Texas, who are already subject to extensive state and federal rules.
SB537 does nothing to ensure or improve patient safety. Instead it would impose 117 pages of unjustified and unnecessary requirements on facilities.
Regulations like these are calculated to close clinics under the guise of legitimate regulation and would dramatically reduce access to safe, quality abortion care for women in Texas.