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Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Ind. Law - More on: Abortion requirements re hospital admission privileges heard at county level now proposed as state legislation

Updating this ILB backgrounder from March 19th on SB 89, several stories today report that the House Public Policy Committee yesterday voted the bill out of committee.

Eric Bradner reports in the Evansville Courier & Press:

Legislation mirroring a Vanderburgh County ordinance requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals advanced at the state level Tuesday.

After two weeks of impassioned testimony, a House committee endorsed Senate Bill 89 on an 8-4 vote, sending it to the full House for action.

Niki Kelly writes in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:
The House Public Policy Committee voted in a bipartisan manner Tuesday to place a new restriction on doctors who perform abortions in Indiana.

The 8-4 tally on Senate Bill 89 included “yes” votes from Rep. Matt Bell, R-Avilla, and Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, the only area lawmakers on the panel.

The legislation was spurred by a handful of cases in which women developed complications after abortions performed by a doctor in Fort Wayne, Dr. George Klopfer. The Illinois physician works at the Fort Wayne Women’s Health Organization and also performs abortions in South Bend and Gary.

Senate Bill 89 would require doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital in the county where the abortion is performed or in an adjacent county.

The legislation does not require the abortion to be done in a hospital, but supporters believe it will provide better follow-up care for women by tracking complications and holding doctors accountable for problems.

Opponents argue it could shut down abortion clinics because some doctors likely could not obtain the required privileges, which are controlled by private hospitals that often require a doctor to live nearby.

There are nine abortion clinics in the state, in five counties. Of the seven doctors performing abortions in Indiana, only one, in Indianapolis, has hospital privileges, according to testimony.

An AP story reports:
Some Indiana counties have been considering similar proposals. County commissioners in Vanderburgh County, which includes Evansville, became the first in Indiana to pass an abortion ordinance regarding hospital privileges. Abortion foes are seeking a similar ordinance in Allen County, where one of Indiana's nine abortion clinics is located.

The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights has said it will challenge the Allen County ordinance if it is approved.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 8, 2009 08:34 AM
Posted to Indiana Law