Omnibus attack
April 12, 2013
Today, The Wichita Eagle, posted my letter to the editor on the omnibus abortion restrictions passed by the Kansas Legislature:
In its entirety, House Bill 2253 represents a clear threat to women’s access to abortion care in Kansas. In addition to declaring that life begins “at fertilization” and rewriting the tax code to penalize both abortion providers and women seeking abortion care, this bill requires providers to give patients medically inaccurate information.
Under HB 2253, health care providers are required to warn their patients about a false link between abortion and breast cancer. Experts from the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have all concluded that there is no causal link between abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer.
It is despicable that legislators would require that physicians give women incorrect medical information. Women deserve the facts about their health care, not misinformation aimed at dissuading them from choosing abortion care.
I am disappointed, yet not surprised, that Kansas legislators decided to pass this measure. Anti-choice legislators obviously would rather advance their extreme social agenda than ensure the health and well-being of women in Kansas.