Roundup: Tiller Acquitted; Sebelius Signs Ultrasound Bill

Mar 30, 2009, 12:25pm

Tiller acquitted, medical board to investigate complaints; Gov. Sebelius signs ultrasound bill; debate over abortion reveals frequency of incest in Brazil.

Tiller Acquitted; Medical Board to Investigate Complaints
Dr.
George Tiller, the Kansas doctor who is one of the few providers
nationwide of late-term abortions, was acquitted on all misdemeanor
charges late last week, but moments later, a medical board announced
that they would investigate claims against him, the AP reports. "Prosecutors had alleged that Dr. George Tiller had in 2003 gotten
second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his,
not independent as state law requires, but a jury took only about an
hour to find him not guilty of all 19 counts…Soon after the verdict was announced, the state’s Board of Healing
Arts made public a complaint against Tiller on allegations similar to
those at issue in the criminal case. The complaint was filed in
December but not released until Friday. The board, which regulates doctors, could revoke, suspend or limit Tiller’s medical license, or fine him."

Sebelius Signs Ultrasound Bill
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama’s nominee for HHS Secretary, signed an anti-choice bill that requires "that women seeking abortions in Kansas be allowed to see ultrasound images or hear the fetus’s heartbeat before the procedure," the New York Times reports. The Times notes that, "In the past, Ms. Sebelius has vetoed legislation sought by anti-abortion groups." Sebelius’s first confirmation hearing is scheduled for tomorrow at 10am in front of the Health, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Debate Over Abortion Reveals High Rate of Incest in Brazil
The New York Times examines
the background to a contentious debate over abortion in Brazil: a
society in which sexual abuse against young girls is widespread, and is
often perpetrated by fathers or stepfathers. The recent story of a nine-year-old, impregnated by her stepfather, has shone a spotlight on other such cases: "The girl’s story of rape
and pregnancy at such a young age seemingly
caught the nation off guard, reviving a tense debate over reproductive
rights in a country with more Catholics than any other…doctors,
clinic workers and other experts say her case is symptomatic of a
widespread problem of sexual abuse of under-age girls — one that has
long been neglected and may be getting worse."

Other News to Note
March 28: NewsBlaze: Remarks at Planned Parenthood Federation of America Awards Gala

March 27: Weekly Standard Blog: Pro-Life Democrat Harry Reid Says He Could Support Abortion Provision in Health-Care Bill

March 27: Values Voter News: Utah Governor Signs Three Pro-Life Bills to Limit Abortions, Law Firm Will Help

March 29: News Leader: Pro-life bill will make abortions rarer — isn’t that what we all want?

March 29: The Times Tribune: Casey Editorial: Aid for pregnant women key to fewer abortions

March 27: Religion Dispatches: By the Way: Religious Right Losing its Grip?

March 28: Newsweek: A Ceasefire in the Culture War: By making ‘abortion reduction’ a priority, Obama courts his frenemies.

March 28: Union Leader: What is private? NH Legislators decide

March 27: Columbus Dispatch: Lawmaker crafting bill to set penalty for teens’ ‘sexting’

March 27: Salem News: The Black Market of Abortion in the Arab World

March 27: Miami Herald: Miramar woman accused of forcing daughter’s abortion wins bond hearing

March 28: AP: Abortion bills deadlock in committee
March 28: Anchorage Daily News: Palin won’t budge on parental-consent abortion bill